Death and the Lady
by StevMarie
Summary: Gajeel is a death reaper, one of the best and strongest of his kind. His afterlife has been nothing more than gathering souls and taking them to the other side when one day he meets a strange creature filled with light and life where he only knew darkness and death. Could this really be an angel? And could this angel awaken something in his heart he didn't think was even there?
1. Death Walking

_"The day of my birth, my death began its walk. It is walking towards me without hurrying."_

A lone man stood in the darkened courtyard of a grand home. Acres of manicured land stretched in all directions, a lush garden around the mansion. Near the front of the home stood a towering sculpture. An angel with widespread wings and a mournful expression on her face looked down upon a small family cemetery that in one unmarked spot bore the scratching marks of picks and shovels. His devilish red eyes lingered on the empty spot, pondering the body that would be laid there shortly.

And then he walked forwards.

There was no need for doors for this man as he proceeded through the threshold like a shadow; no need for caution as he meandered through richly decorated hallways. Figures with darkened faces passed him, many wiping fresh tears from their faces. Servants picked up brooms and scullery maids started weaving black ribbons through the branches of a wreath that would adorn the entrance in just a few short hours, after the doctor proclaimed the last heartbeat.

And he strode calmly through a door to a small room. A vast bed held a lone, slim figured that was dwarfed by the plush pillows and frilled comforters. He stood there in the doorway, gazing on her for a while and laying his iron staff against the doorframe. He wouldn't be needing it for her. Her soul was ready to be released.

A clock struck somewhere in the mansion and sent its ominous chime down the halls to greet the ears of the reaper in the room. His bloody eyes turned to a small iron pocket watch that rested in the cuff of his black robes. Its hands, always spinning like a broken compass when around the souls of those whose time has not yet come, abruptly stopped as its fingers pointed towards the woman in the bed.

He approached her bedside, noticing the golden hair that was fanned out around her. Her face was pale and fatigued. She'd been fighting this illness for most of her life and her body was finally spent. Pale eyes opened and turned to him, their gaze filled with sorrow and compassion.

"Layla Heartfilia," his voice was deep and gruff, cutting the air like a knife as he stared unfeelingly down at her, "It's time to abandon that bed of yours."

"But I'm too weak to walk," she said, her eyes widening in surprise at the strength in her voice and she cast a worried glance to the man at her bedside.

"You will find that your legs are more than suitable now," he wasn't a gentle man. He'd been doing this for a long time now.

Realization lighted her features and tears came to the corners of her eyes. She was silent for a time and that was fine. There were still a few minutes before her time to leave was absolute.

"Do you have a name, Reaper?" her voice was compassionate. No regret existed in her words.

"I've been called many names,"

Her gaze turned from him to a form that was hunched at her side. He had to admit, he hadn't noticed the small girl that had curled her tiny fingers in the sheets around her mother.

"Is there one I may call you?" she was gentle and brought up a weak hand to stroke the golden hair of the girl beside her.

He cocked his head to the side as he spoke, "I have been named Black Steel by those who know me. My soul's name, though, is Gajeel Redfox,"

"Gajeel," the way his name left her lips sounded loving to his calloused ears. Her voice was of one he didn't run into often: the voice of a truly devoted mother, "may I make a request?"

"I make no promises,"

"Of course," she smiled a bittersweet smile before she spoke again, "Is there any way you can check on her for me? Her father isn't a forgiving man and he'll hate me for leaving him so soon. I'm scared she'll lose both of her parents this night,"

He regarded her for a moment and his eyes fell on the tiny figure beside her. Roaming the world for humans was something he didn't do. If he'd fulfilled all the requests he'd been asked for over his many decades as a reaper, he wouldn't be doing his job now. That was why they called him Black Steel. He was cold and treated each soul equally. Reapers don't get attached, and certainly he didn't. They fetch the dying and bring them to the Judgment rooms where they are divided, some sent to a life on the other side and others sent into a black void where their souls may or may not exist any longer.

He didn't do favors. That was for the Judges to deal with.

He was stoic and he gave nothing away as he answered her, "I'll see what I can do,"

She smiled gently, sated by his answer for the moment.

"Be strong, little one," she said quietly, "I won't be able to be with you any longer. But don't worry; you'll still be with me in my heart and I yours. One day we'll see each other once more. Grow into a beautiful young woman, Lucy. I love you,"

After she finished, she pulled back the sheets and stood. Her figure ripped in two, one of her still laying on the bed, taking one more breath before becoming completely still, and the other standing before Gajeel in just her nightdress. Her bright brown eyes didn't diminish even as she looped her arm in his and they took their first steps towards the door. She didn't turn to look back when he grabbed his staff and rapped it against the door, causing it to glow and open up to a blinding white light. She walked into her afterlife with pride and a melancholy smile on her features.

But he could still smell the tears as they slid down her cheeks.


	2. Proof of My Life

_"I was so happy then. From this tiny little body the future holds infinite possibilities. The power of life... I couldn't stop the tears from overflowing. This child is proof of my life."_

Gajeel tread down narrow footpaths of a snow-covered mountain. Wind and hail pierced the air, raining down on him and tearing his robe from his chest though he felt no cold. His long black locks wiped the sides of his face as he traveled up the steep ridge, using his staff to help him up the rocks even though his strength knew no bounds. His watch was calling him silently in the storm, directing him to the next collection, and he obeyed.

As he travelled, his attention was caught by a blue figure walking up to him. Her dull blue hair ruffled in the harsh wind and her long blue dress was visible as her deep navy cape was pulled from her form by the wind. She glanced over at him with deathly blue eyes, an almost invisible smile touching her lips as she approached him.

"Gajeel," she said quietly, coming up to walk beside him, "It has been a while,"

"Juvia," his red eyes pulled away from her, looking up the mountain to a small ridge that jutted from the cliff side.

Reapers roamed the world mostly in solitude. But every once in a while there would be an overlap in reapers' jurisdictions, usually occurring in places where there is a high death rate. Mount Dehliora was one of those places. It claimed numerous lives every year with its storms that seemingly come from nowhere and often left even the most experienced hikers and climbers in shambles. He couldn't count how many souls he'd had to escort from this place, sometimes more than one at a time.

Which was why Juvia had appeared.

Her necklace was glowing faintly as she walked next to him, guiding her in the same way his iron pocket watch guided him. The fact that both of them had been called meant that two people were going to pass tonight. When the two of them would meet, it usually meant severing the arms of two lovers from being wrapped around each other as they said their tearful goodbyes for the last time. Each time, Juvia would be shaken by the occurrence. He figured it had something to do with how she had died in her former life. For Gajeel, he had stopped caring about humans long before he'd been called, although he had no recollection of his former life.

Some said his was the soul of a dragon, cold and unfeeling, looking down on the human world and all their toils with contempt.

"Gajeel, Juvia sees something ahead," she said, pulling his mind from his thoughts.

They knelt to the ground and looked up to crest, jumping with inhuman strength and force and landing gently in the snow above. Gajeel couldn't help but cock his head to the side at the figures lying in the snow in front of them.

There were three forms wrapped in blankets, one large and two much smaller. What remained of their tent was scattered against the rocks, ripped to shreds by the wind and hail. Nestled close to the rocks was a dying fire where the three huddled, one form curled against another with the largest form taking the rear. Her form was still and she bore just a small blanket and light clothing, having given her heaviest blankets and clothing to the two children cuddled against her waning warmth against a dying fire.

Gajeel approached the woman and knelt down beside her, leaving Juvia with a shocked expression on her face. Why she seemed in such distress he couldn't fathom. This was just another job.

"Ur Milkavich," he laid his hand on her shoulder, causing her to stir and gaze up at him. Her skin was pale and her realization was immediate, "I need you to come with me,"

She sat up with a dazed expression on her face and she turned her head to the two forms by her side. They were two boys, no older than ten or eleven. One had ice crystals touching his short raven hair and the other had hair as white as the snow he was covered in. Her eyes turned back to him pleading.

"But… the children… they'll die without me to keep them warm," she pleaded silently, "Just give me a few more hours, let them make it through the night. Then, please, take me,"

Gajeel looked down to his watch, its hands ticking by slower and slower. He knew by watching the small trinket that she didn't have a few hours, not even a few minutes, before the gate had to be opened and she escorted through.

"You haven't been allowed that amount of time," he was upfront with her. There was no need to keep her in the dark.

"But these boys, they're my life. I can't leave them here to freeze to death like…" she stopped then, looking down at her fingertips which had turned deep purple from the cold, "Just give me a little more time…"

Gajeel stood, holding his hand out to her, "There's nothing that can be done,"

She bit her lip, casting her eyes down to the sleeping, shivering figures. Tears started to stream down the corners of her eyes.

"There's nothing…" she clutched a numb hand to her chest, "But they're so young. They have their whole lives ahead of them,"

Gajeel opened his mouth again to say something, his anger sending green tendrils into the iron markings of his staff, preparing it to become a weapon instead of an accessory. Juvia came forward then, placing a hand on his shoulder before approaching the sleeping boy next to Ur. She pulled his blanket back just a bit, exposing his face to her, and she smiled down softly at him. He opened his eyes, then, meeting her blue eyes with his own deep blue. His eyes widened in wonder at her and despite his shivering he became very still.

Juvia's smile widened, "Sleep well, Gray Fullbuster,"

Gajeel withdrew a few paces as her necklace began to glow. Like most strong reapers, Juvia had the ability to manipulate humans' fates. She spread her fingers above her, calming the wind drastically and lessening the hail. She then turned to the fire and raised its strength, causing the shivering of the two boys to lessen. She turned to them then, her smile bright on her pale face.

"Juvia will watch the boys for you," she said lightly and Gajeel watched as her necklace's glow diminished and stopped completely.

"Thank you," Ur smiled, tears sliding down her face, "These two mean the world to me. Thank you, so much,"

She followed Gajeel as he walked her to the side of the cliff, opening up a door to the other side. He glanced once back at Juvia before disappearing into the blinding light.


	3. Dark and Thick Clouds

_"How long are we going to be quiet about the dark and thick clouds that surround us?"_

"Juvia," the voice was as sickening as it was sweet as it passed through yellowed teeth and purple lips. The man that stood in front of Gajeel and Juvia was no mere reaper. He was a Messenger, responsible for reporting to the Judges and getting their direct instruction. Reapers are generally given freedom to do as they would wish. However, when one may dabble in editing human fate, there were severe repercussions. It was the Judge's duty to decide the fate of a human soul and to choose to allow someone to live or take their life. For a reaper to chose on their own took that decision from the Judges, defying them and asserting your own power above theirs.

"Yes, Master Jose," Juvia bowed, causing the purple-haired mage to grin impishly.

"I have been asked by the Judges to interrogate you on the matter of Gray Fullibuster," he drawled out the words, his arrogance making Gajeel's ears twitch in agitation.

"What does Master Jose wish to know?" Juvia was stoic. She always shut down like that when she was around Jose. She didn't like him, "Juvia would be happy to-"

"I've been informed you refused to collect the boy's soul. Is this true?"

"Juvia didn't…"

"Are you denying the words of the almighty Judges?" his grin widened.

"No, Juvia would never do something like that,"

"Then you _did_ refuse to collect his soul,"

"Juvia only wanted to…"

"You denied the Judges in your actions, Ms. Lockser. Surely you knew there would be consequences?"

Maybe it was the smug smile Jose had in just that instant or maybe it was the shock and worry in Juvia's eyes when he spoke, but at that minute, Gajeel decided he hated Jose. His voice grated on his nerves to the point that his hair stood on end and the twisted bastard only seemed to have his own power in mind. He was a shady fellow, and manipulative. Gajeel didn't have a doubt in his mind that the Judges had only asked for an explanation, not a trial and judgment to be made.

He gripped his iron staff and walked forward, placing himself between Juvia and Jose.

"Gajeel…" Juvia gasped. He shot her a look to silence her and brought his bloody eyes back to meet Jose's.

"I told her to let the boy live," Gajeel growled, letting his power cause his staff to glow green with activation.

"You, Black Steel Gajeel?" his eyes were suddenly guarded and they narrowed at his words, "I have a hard time believing something like that,"

"The woman I escorted to the gate wanted the boy to live. Not to mention he had a brother who would be left alone. Not allowing the boy to live would have just made it certain the second child die as well. You and I both know how much Judge Mavis is saddened by the death of children. I figured I was doing her a favor,"

Jose regarded him for a moment, his eyes staring at the Gajeel's staff, which was now threatening transformation. Gajeel didn't often activate his power, but when he did he did so without looking back. He wasn't a man to make hollow threats.

"Yes, well, that is something you have to consult Judge Mavis with herself. It is _her_ jurisdiction to…"

"It seems there's been quite a few deaths this month," Gajeel said coolly, making Jose slam his mouth shut as Gajeel's staff turned into a large, shimmering black scythe, "So many more than usual. One might say, you're shirking your duties as a Messenger, _Master_ Jose,"

Part of the job of the Messenger is to watch over mankind and keep stock of the births and deaths that occur every month. Each sector has a limit of deaths versus births that can occur. Gajeel knew very well that Jose had no interest in monitoring humans like a supernatural babysitter. He saw them as a herd of animals rather than sentient beings with thoughts and feelings. And even though Gajeel was mostly lacking in empathy, he did know that there was a balance that had to be maintained, one that Jose had been neglecting. If a Messenger neglects his duties, catastrophes often take a hold of mankind. War. Famine. Plague.

"You don't want to be responsible for… I dunno… a wild fire, would you?" a smirk made it's way across Gajeel's features as he stared him down, "I'd hate for your decommission to be brought about,"

"Are you threatening me, _Reaper_?" Jose's voice was dangerous and low, but his eyes were staring warily at the scythe in Gajeel's hands.

"Of course not, Master. I'm merely reminding you of your place in our world. I may be a lowly reaper, but I'm fairly certain you have bigger things to take care of,"

The two stared each other down for a while, Gajeel daring him to make a move and Jose unsure. Finally, he turned and scoffed, flipping his ponytail to the side, "I'll be sure to give your report to the Judges,"

"Thank you, sir," Gajeel's smile faded as Jose left. How boring.

_Whack!_

"The hell, woman?!"

"Juvia did not need Gajeel's help! Juvia can handle herself!" Juvia fumed, rubbing her wrist where she'd hit Gajeel on the back of the head.

"He was gonna frame you. The hell did you expect me to do?!" Gajeel growled, deactivating his scythe.

Juvia sighed and looked up to the raging reaper, "Juvia thanks you,"

"Yeah, yeah," Gajeel huffed, pulling out his pocket watch. Time to get back to work.


	4. Only Humans Think Death is Evil

_"Only humans think death is evil. But it is nature. Evil exists only in life. There is much good and evil allotted to each life."_

Gajeel stood in the middle of a grand field, his hands deep in his pockets. He hadn't been summoned out there, but for some reason he just decided to come. The grass was nearly waist high and shimmered a bright golden in the dimming light. On one side, the gold seemed to stretch forever while the other side was broken with shaggy hills. He wasn't one to stand around and enjoy scenery, but this place was one that made him stop and look.

"Lyon! That's not fair!" a voice came from the other side of the hills.

"How are you going to defeat Mount Dehliora if you can't win a simple footrace?"

"You tripped me! How is that a simple footrace?"

Two boys suddenly broke the hill. One had hair so silver it looked white, and he tore through the tall grass as fast as he could. The other had dark hair and deep blue eyes. He was shirtless despite the chill of the late fall air and he pushed himself as hard as he could to catch up.

As he ran by, he skidded to a halt.

Briefly, he tilted his head towards Gajeel, locking eyes with him. Then, as if the moment hadn't happened, he turned to run after the other boy once more, calling him names as he tried to catch up.

Gajeel heard faint footsteps approaching from behind him and he slanted his head back cautiously. Juvia came up beside him, brushing back her hair nervously as she did so. Gajeel turned his head back to watch as the two boys crashed into each other, tousling underneath the golden stems as they screamed self-fabricated obscenities at each other.

"The boy can see us," Gajeel said quietly, dipping his hands into his pockets as he looked on.

"Aye," she said at length, "Probably because Gray's soul was revealed that night,"

"Probably," Gajeel brought his hand up to run the back of his hand across his studded brow, "Jose say anything about it?"

"Jose doesn't watch the humans as Jose should,"

They fell silent for a while as night began to fall. The two finally stopped wrestling and lay in a sweaty heap, gasping for breath. On occasion, Gray would glance over to where he and Juvia stood, but he never made mention to the silver-haired boy beside him.

"Grey thinks Juvia is his guardian angel," she finally said, glancing up at Gajeel as she spoke.

"Tch. Guardian angels don't exist," he scoffed.

"How would Gajeel know? Gajeel doesn't know everything!"

"Yeah? Well then why haven't I seen any?"

"Maybe Gajeel hasn't been looking in the right places!"

He rolled his eyes, biting back a retort. After the sun had finally set, the two boys pulled each other out of the dirt and grass and made their way back towards town. The two walked in silence after them, following them to a large building that looked to be an orphanage.

"Gray will be turning sixteen soon," Juvia said as they walked inside, "Then Juvia will need to help Gray find a new home."

Gajeel looked down at her then, his brow furrowing at her words, "You've been watching him?"

"Juvia couldn't just leave him, could she?" she huffed at him, crossing her arms indignantly. She pretended to ignore his inquisitive stare for a while before finally relenting, sighing loudly, "Juvia knows she shouldn't get attached to humans, but Juvia couldn't help herself."

"One day you'll have to escort him," Gajeel said coldly, "It's something that can't be avoided,"

"Juvia knows…" she sighed sadly, looking at the building with longing in her eyes, "But, when Juvia is around Gray, he talks to Juvia. He tells Juvia that she's his angel,"

"Tch," Gajeel rolled his eyes, "I told ya, there's no such thing as angels, Juvia,"

"And Juvia said Gajeel doesn't know everything! And besides Gajeel's ugly face probably scares them away!"

He scoffed at her and crossed his arms. He was sick of this nonsense and turned to leave.

"Gajeel…" her voice was small.

"Eh?" he grunted, turning to look at her over his shoulder. She looked sad and clouds started to grow darker as she stood watching the shadows in the windows. He gritted his teeth as he watched her. She was far too attached.

"Does Gajeel ever get tired of it all?"

"What do you mean?"

"Juvia doesn't like it. She tears families apart every time she is summoned. Juvia has to watch as they cry and she hates it. Juvia is tired… she's tired of being evil,"

Tears trickled down her face as she spoke and a few heavy raindrops fell from the sky. Gajeel cast his eyes to the sky, knowing the reason why the rain was falling was because of Juvia's sadness. He let out a tense sigh and allowed the angry set of his shoulders to loosen.

"Juvia thinks death is a terrible thing," she said quietly, "Juvia brings nothing but misery to the people she sees,"

"Death is neither good nor evil, Juvia," he spoke gruffly to her, making her turn to meet his ruby stare, "It just… is,"


	5. Something So Divine

_"It is true something so divine shouldn't exist. And as he thought it she was gone."_

Gajeel approached a grand mansion with a sprawling courtyard. As he cast his eyes about the gardens and up towards the weeping statue of an angel surrounded by small headstones, he recognized the place. He pulled out his pocket watch and idly observed the hands ticking by. He had plenty of time.

He walked through the grand doors once again, his eyes straying to the various adornments in the large halls. Chandeliers hung from giant foyers and hand carved woodworking spiraled up the walls. Such an amazing place this was. He decided he didn't care to think of the type of fortune the place needed to be sustained, although he noticed a few cobwebs and darker shadows than when he'd last visited.

He approached a room far larger than the one he'd come to last. As he entered, he noticed a large bed with sheets not quite so fine and pillows not quite so plush. The wife of the house must have been the object of everyone's eye because the man who lay on the bed seemed much less of a compassionate person. His face was rough and stern even though age had turned his hair grey and had his eyes sunken into his skull. Each breath he took was raspy and short.

He heard footsteps approaching from the hall and moved away from the door to stand in a darkened corner. The shadows pulled a tad larger with his presence, a detail often missed by humans that would otherwise alert to his company. He folded his arms across his chest and waited. There was still plenty of time and no need to awaken his spirit just yet.

Slowly, the door opened, bringing with it a warmth to him that was so strong he felt the marrow in his bones heat. His eyes widened as a two figures stepped into the room, bringing with them an ethereal light that filled the room, removing the shadows he'd been standing in. The first was a girl with fine golden hair, so reminiscent of Layla Heartfilia's that it must have broken her father's heart every time he saw it. Her eyes shone a bright brown as well and she wore a dark colored dress in the color of mourning.

But it wasn't that girl who caught Gajeel's eye and had him staring. A small girl, slim with hair so bright blue it looked as if the sky itself had fallen into her soft curls. Her eyes were alight and she wore a bright orange dress with a headband to tame her locks. Pale skin was tinged with a light blush and she looked like the sun itself had poured a few drops into her soul. She was beautiful and full of light.

And her eyes turned and locked with his.

In the first second, her visage filled with a look of surprise and caused her gentle lips to form a small 'o'. Then curiosity took over and she cocked her head to the side as she stared at him, a smile coming to her face. He was sure his face must have been a sight to see, because he suddenly realized his mouth was hanging slightly agape.

"Hullo," her voice was tender and had a sound akin to bells.

"Hey," he felt self conscious under her gaze. What was this strange creature? He realized that when she spoke, no one heard her voice except for himself. She had to be a type of reaper or messenger. Why else would the humans not be able to detect her presence? But her body was light and resembled nothing of the cloaked figures that conformed to the shadows that he knew.

"My name is Levy McGarden," she smiled, clasping her hands together lightly, "May I ask your name?"

"Gajeel Redfox," he said gruffly, his red eyes boring into hers as he studied her, "or maybe you've heard of me as Black Steel?"

"Black Steel?" she said, looking to the side as she tried to recall the name, "No… I've never heard that name before,"

She checked over her shoulder at the blonde who stood over her father, tears falling down her face as she looked down on him. Levy's eyes shaded over in sadness as she gazed on the girl, but when she turned back to Gajeel all signs of that sadness had been whisked away.

"It's nice to meet you, Black Steel Gajeel. I've never met someone like me before,"

"Like you?" he furrowed his brow. They were nothing alike.

"Yes," her smile widened, "You are an angel, are you not?"

"An… angel?" his eyes widened. No fucking way.

"You're not an angel?" her head tipped to the side again and her brow pinched together in puzzlement, "Then… what are you?"

"I'm a reaper,"

"A… reaper…" she blinked a couple of times and then looked back towards the girl and the man lying in the bed, "I see,"

He leaned farther against the wall as if it would somehow swallow him away from the mournful look that had entered the girl's eyes. Out of habit, nervous or otherwise, he pulled out his pocket watch to stare at the hands that were slowly ticking into oblivion. They would be stopping soon. It wouldn't be much longer now.

"I take it you've never see a soul being escorted before?" he asked, looking up at her with his fiery eyes. She jumped when he spoke as if he'd just pulled her from being lost in thought and she shook her head slowly.

"No. I haven't,"

"Then you might want to leave. This guy isn't going to go easily," he could see the man's restless spirit turning beneath his skin. He wasn't ready to go yet even though his body was. Gajeel tightened his grip on his staff as he watched him. Hopefully he wouldn't try to run.

"I would but it seems Lucy wants to be here when he passes," she turned back towards the blonde with a fond smile, "I wouldn't want to deny her that,"

"You follow her everywhere, do you?" he couldn't help the scoff that passed his lips.

"I do," she smiled at him then, the action taking him off guard. She was amazingly radiant, "I'm her guardian angel,"

"Fucking Rain Woman…" he muttered under his breath, then waved his hand when she looked at him inquiringly.

He started when he felt the ticking of his watch drop dangerously slow. He pushed himself off the wall and walked over to the man's bedside, standing opposite of Lucy. He could feel the eyes of the bluenette boring into him as he put his hand on Jude Heartfilia's shoulder, calling his spirit awake as he did so. When Jude's eyes fluttered open, they were fierce and fear filled them when he saw Gajeel.

"Jude Heartfilia, I'll have to ask you to come with me," his voice made the man cringe away and he sat up in a rush.

"No… not yet… I'm not ready,"

Fan-fucking-tastic.

"You don't have a choice in the matter," Gajeel was a blunt man. He didn't piddle around when it came to these things. Sooner or later they'd have to resign, even if that meant chasing their soul down and bringing them to their gate by force. The man was silent for a moment.

"I'll give you anything you want," he said at length, his eyes hesitant as they met Gajeel's, "I have plenty of anything you would want. Money, fine clothes, houses… surely there's something-"

"I'm not interested in human possessions," Gajeel cut him off. He'd heard this spiel before.

"Everyone has a price," he glared up at Gajeel, "Now, what's yours?"

Gajeel smirked down at him, his smile turning sinister despite him trying to keep a calm demeanor, "Your soul, Jude. That's my price,"

He stilled then, all of his gusto leaving as the words left Gajeel's mouth. Gajeel extended his hand, his other hand gripping his staff so hard green tendrils began to dance across the wrought iron.

Jude's face fell and he turned to look at his daughter who stared at his body, her face somber as she wiped away quiet tears.

"But, my daughter… I can't leave her. She'll be alone," his voice was small and broken.

Gajeel let out a breath and his eyes flicked towards the blue-haired girl who stood in awe, taking in everything that was happening. His smile pulled at his lips again, this time more gentle.

"You must be blind, Mr. Heartfilia," he chuckled, "Don't you see she has someone beside her?"

Jude suddenly looked to Levy, only just then realizing her presence.

"Don't you want to see your wife?" Gajeel's voice was low as he spoke and he saw Jude's eyes light up at his words, "She's waiting for you, you know,"

"After my life, I'm not sure why she'd do something like that," he muttered, looking back at Gajeel with a downcast countenance.

"You won't know until you see her," he said, offering him his hand. Reluctantly, Jude accepted and stood, leaving his earthly body behind as he followed after the reaper.

"You think she'll be ok?" he said, stopping to look at Levy.

"Of course," she smiled a smile so radiant Gajeel almost couldn't believe it. Her voice was soothing to the ear and he felt something stir in his chest at the sound. This was an angel, a real, living angel, "She's in good hands,"

As Gajeel walked through the gate behind Jude, he chanced one more look back over his shoulder. If a person's face could be engraved in his mind forever, it was Levy McGarden's.


	6. I Will See You Again

**AN: Wow guys, I'm really sorry about this chapter! The ending is a bit cut and dry and I'm really sorry for that! I've just been kinda sitting on it with not a single thought on how to transition to the next chapter so I just... did it. And of course it's another short one *face palms*. I promise, I will start putting out something substantial soon! Next chapter I swear! **

**I also may be slowing down on my posts as well because... well... college. Yay. And possibly a second job as well. Even more yay. So, bare with me here on this one! R&amp;R as well please! I greatly enjoy feedback on how I might improve! **

**Now then, on with the show!**

* * *

_"I said goodbye, turned around, and you were gone. Faded into the setting sun. Slipped away. But I won't cry because I know I'll never be lonely, for you are the stars to me. You are the light. I will follow and I will see you again."_

Gajeel sat with a huff. He'd been pacing around all day. There'd been no work to do. No souls to escort. And nothing to take his thoughts away from the girl he'd seen in the Heartfilia mansion. It was maddening. How could one person make such a lasting impression on your heart in such a fleeting moment? But even now when he closed his eyes he saw that radiant smile that had flashed for just a moment. Those soft blue curls that framed an immeasurably light face whose gentle blush only benefited her beauty.

"Gajeel?"

He jumped backwards, his eyes shooting open and his scythe activating in his haste and the fact he'd been taken off guard. Juvia's pale blue eyes met his and he immediately powered down with a huff. Dear god, what was wrong with his heart? It was beating so erratically.

"Is Gajeel ok? He looks… different," her brows were furrowed in concern and she sat down in the grass next to him.

"Different? Different how?" he didn't feel different. Well, excluding the strange heartbeat, the haunted feeling in the pit of his stomach, and the thoughts that kept swimming around in his head. But besides that, he felt perfectly fine.

Yeah. Fine.

"Juvia can't quite place it… it's like… Gajeel has seen a ghost?" she chuckled slightly at her own joke but quickly turned serious again, "Did something happen to Gajeel on his last job?"

"Yeah… I mean, no… well…" he laced his fingers through his tousled black hair, letting his staff press against his shoulder, "I dunno,"

"Tell Juvia," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. He shrugged it off, bringing his hands down to stare at them.

"Remember when you were talking about guardian angels?" he said at length.

"Yes,"

"Well… I met one,"

Juvia huffed and crossed her arms, "Gajeel is pulling Juvia's leg! Gajeel said himself that angels don't exist,"

"I'm serious Juvia," he growled, rubbing his temples as he spoke, "I saw her! She was short with light blue hair. And her eyes were the brightest things I think I've ever seen… and she had a smile…"

He stopped himself, the words he was saying suddenly registering.

"I mean… she was pretty, I guess," he huffed, looking away from the blue-haired reaper, "But when she walked into the room, it just lit up. Like… I dunno… sunlight…"

"Does Gajeel's angel have a name?" Juvia's smile was a sly one as she looked over at him.

"Levy McGarden," he said, tasting the name as it left his mouth. He could've sworn that even saying her name was sweet.

"Gajeel… Gajeel is in love!"

"Dammit! I am not!" he growled, crossing his arms and shooting her a look of disdain, "And hell if I ever see the dame again!"

"But Gajeel must!" she crooned, clasping her hands together with a dreamy expression, "When Gajeel finds the love of his life he can't just let her get away! He needs to find her!"

"Yeah, yeah," he huffed.

Juvia glared at him for a moment before shoving his shoulder roughly, "Gajeel will see her again!"

"Gajeel will do whatever he damn well pleases!" he stood angrily and stomped away, seething at the grin that was working its way across Juvia's face.

* * *

"Damn," he breathed, looking out across the courtyard of the mansion he'd visited just a few weeks before.

Gajeel Redfox never felt nervous. Excited, rarely, but never nervous. He was a harbinger of death, calling forth souls without feeling. He could twist the very lives of mortals with a flick of his scythe. His ruby gaze struck fear into the hearts of anyone who might stand in his way and his glare made sure other reapers kept their heads down when in his presence.

So why was it that he was frozen in his place at the sight of two girls sitting under the shade of a giant oak tree?

Because there they sat, one blissfully unaware of the two extra presences and the other equally as blissfully unaware of his. The blonde girl was reading, her eyes still holding shadows of the grief that was still in her heart while the blue-haired nymph sat staring over her shoulder, taking in the words on the pages with a small smile on her face.

And all he could do was stand as if one of the many statues in the garden.

Levy must have finished the page before the blonde because she leaned back onto her heels and stretched, opening her pores to the sunlight that gently poured through the leaves. When her eyes fluttered back open again, she turned her head towards him, her blue locks flipping against her cheeks as she did so.

And she smiled.

"Hello again," her voice was as cheerful as it had been at their first encounter and he found himself approaching despite the strange feeling making his stomach clench.

"Hey,"

Her brow knitted down slightly, her eyes flashing quickly to the blonde before returning to his gaze, "Are you here on… business?"

"Not today," he smirked down at her, not quite sure why he felt his spirits lift when the worried expression left her eyes.

And then curiosity filled them.

"So then, why are you here?"

"I could leave," he grunted, turning his eyes away and crossing his staff between his arms. If he were completely honest, he'd say he was there to see her. But that sounded like romantic bullshit.

"No, no," her brown eyes widened and she held out her hands as if to stop him from leaving, "I didn't mean it like that, I just…"

"You're just what?" he growled down at her when she didn't continue.

She took a breath as if steeling herself before another amazingly brilliant smile broke back across her features, "I'm happy to see you,"


	7. Heavily Invested

_"__You have to be quite heavily invested in someone to do them the honour of telling them you're annoyed with them.__"_

"Do you seriously follow her everywhere?" Gajeel scoffed from his seat atop a bookshelf, his arms folded lazily over his chest as he lounged.

"Gajeel! Get down from there right now!"

"Geehee, why don't you come up here and make me?"

This had become their ritual. He'd find his way there at some point before noon and stay as long as he was allowed before being called off for another gathering.

And in the meantime he'd find any way possible to annoy the little guardian angel gone book enthusiast.

She puffed her cheeks at him and crossed her arms, tapping her foot exasperatedly against the hardwood. Her dress was a radian yellow today while still being tied by her usual blue headband. Where she found time for wardrobe changes during her constant vigilance he didn't bother to guess.

"You're going to knock over one of those bookcases one of these days," she huffed, turning away from him in an effort to feign contempt, "And I'll not hear the end of the servants talking about ghosts,"

"Don't get yer skirts in a bunch," he chuckled, turning so that he could prop his feet up on the wall and let his black locks tumble over the edge of the shelves.

"Don't you have better things to do than annoy me?" she sighed, sending a light breeze to flutter through the room and ruffle the pages of the books that were lying in disarray around the chamber.

Lucy sat in a plush chair reading contently. Her favorite pastime seemed to be with books, which suited Levy just fine, as she would frequently come over to read over the blonde's shoulder. Today, though, Levy kept away from the enticing words in favor of her recent company.

"Not at the moment,"

Levy stopped her shuffling to look over her shoulder at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That means I have a reaping today," he rolled over onto his stomach, grinning at the agitation he caused her when his boots thudded against the shelf. The sound was one only the two of them could hear, however, and so the blonde sitting in the corner didn't even stir.

"How do you know?" Levy blurted, startling herself with the question so much that she brought her hands to her mouth, "I mean..."

"Eh?" he raised a studded brow at her and fished into one of his cape pockets, taking out his iron trinket and tossing it towards her. She caught it hastily, holding it as if it were as delicate as glass in her hands, "With that,"

"What… what is it?" she murmured, popping the carved face open, "A watch? Or a compass?"

"It's a watch," he huffed, jumping from his perch atop the shelves and landing heavily on his feet, making her start, "You see how the hands are turning like that?"

"It means it's broken?"

He snorted, making her grin slightly despite her blush.

"It means you ain't gonna die anytime soon," he chortled, walking up close enough that she had to crane her neck back in order to keep eye contact, "The hands stop when it's someone's time to go,"

"So how do you know if they're far away?"

He plucked the trinket from her fingers, feeling the heat of her skin against his fingertips as he did so. As he held it in his hands, the arms slowed, the hour hand pointing east towards town whilst the minute and second hands took up what seemed regular time.

"The hour hand points to where the soul is," he said, tapping on the glass face with his finger, "The minute and second hands show how much time the person has left to live. Five hours from midnight means it'll be five hours before I have to collect his soul,"

"That's amazing," her voice was filled with awe as she stared at it, her eyes alight as they followed its endless ticking, "Can you tell how long someone has to live? Years, I mean?"

"That," he said, closing the watch with a swift _snap_, "is a different trick entirely."

She opened her mouth to question more when Lucy stood, tucking the book she was reading into a knapsack, and walking out of the library. Sure enough, the little bluenette followed happily after with Gajeel on her heels.

"Where the hell is she off to?" Gajeel growled, snatching his staff from its perch against the doorframe as he followed.

"I guess she's got it in her to go to the bookstore," Levy smiled.

"What is it with you two and books?" he huffed. The blue-haired pixie just stuck her tongue out at him and followed her ward out the grand doors of the mansion. As they made their way through the countryside and towards the town, Gajeel started to notice movement out of the corner of his eye. Every once in a while there would be a flash of pink just out of his line of sight and he had to stop himself from turning on whatever was dodging behind him.

"We're being followed," Gajeel growled, eyeing over his shoulder.

"I know," Levy smiled, skipping alongside Lucy, "Don't worry, he means no harm,"

"He?"

"Hey Luce!" the boy pounced from the bushes, causing Lucy to reel back with a screech as he pulled her into a suffocating hug.

"N-N-Natsu!" Lucy wailed, pushing him away and quickly tossing her eyes around to check for pedestrians, "Don't! Someone might…"

"It's been almost a week! Where have you been?"

"Oh dear Mavis, you're kidding me," Gajeel wrinkled his nose at the two as they bantered back and forth. Actually, bickered was more like it, but he couldn't miss the meaningful looks the two shared on occasion, "She's sneaking out to see a guy?"

Levy repressed a snicker.

"And you, her guardian angel, is condoning this?" Gajeel raised a pierced eyebrow at the girl, "You sure you're a guardian _angel_?"

A wicked grin started to spread across his face.

"What? No! He's not a bad kid! It's not like he's going to lead _'lead her off the path of righteousness'_ or anything!"

"Oh, he'll lead her off a path, alright," Gajeel's grin widened at the blush that was starting to overtake Levy's pale complexion, "You sure you're not just a voyeur?"

"Gajeel! I am _NOT _a voyeur!" she huffed, crossing her arms against the embarrassment that was making her cheeks flame, "How do you even know what that means? Pervert!"

"How do _you_ know what that means, miss angel?"

She huffed exasperatedly and crossed her arms but her anger quickly faded as she watched the two. Natsu put his arm over her shoulder casually as they walked and smiled widely down at the blonde. Gajeel noticed the wistful look in Levy's eyes as she watched and it intrigued him.

"Oi," he caught her off guard and she quickly dropped the almost melancholy look, "What was with that look?"

"Hm? I don't know what you're talking about," she let her blue hair form a protective curtain between his eyes and her expression, looking away from him as they followed the cheerful couple.

"Whatever," he grunted, not removing his eyes from her. He hadn't known the girl long, but he could tell something was bothering her. Rather than press, though, he allowed her privacy in her own thoughts. If it was important enough she'd speak up about it.

It wasn't like she had anyone else to talk to.


	8. Shadows Can Kill

"_Power resides only where men believe it resides. [...] A shadow on the wall, yet shadows can kill. And oft times a very small man can cast a very large shadow__"_

In Gajeel's observation, Levy was an extremely subtle creature. She didn't interact with souls as he did. When he touched someone, they knew he was there. Levy, however, didn't intend to be noticed even though sometimes she did amazing things. As bright and warm as her smile was, so was the area around her. Even though the clouds were starting to cover the sky, with a twirl of her wrists they were just a little less foreboding and the sunshine seeped through just a little bit more. Birds chirped happily from the forest and even the natural shadows seemed to be staved off a bit more. Nothing could be dim or dark around her. Nature itself welcomed her warmth and presented its best for her.

Which might have been why despite losing both of her parents, Lucy thrived happily. Besides being overly worried at times, she was happy and her smile was genuine.

And among the sunshine and flowers and the happy couple laughing as they walked towards town, Gajeel felt extremely out of place. He was a reaper, and probably one of the most brooding ones at that. With his black cloak and piercings, he probably stuck out more than a crow amidst blue birds. Not that anyone could see him, although he swore every once in a while when Natsu would glance behind him he wasn't looking past Gajeel, but right at him. But the pinkie would just continue whatever strange joke he was making and hug the blonde a little tighter.

The evening was pleasant, though, despite his dark demeanor. Levy spent her time bouncing about the bookstore in glee, passing over strangers' shoulders as they read. Natsu juggled books, much to the displeasure of the little angel, especially when he dropped them and cause the shopkeeper to start scolding him. But Levy just put a hand on her shoulder, immediately making her lose her fury and break out a reluctant smile at the rambunctious teen.

"Well, I'll see ya later, Luce," Natsu smiled, wrapping her books up and sliding them in her satchel, "I gotta go home and check on Happy,"

"Happy?" Gajeel grunted, looking over to Levy with a questioning expression.

"His new kitten," Levy smiled.

"Maybe next time I'll bring him with me," the boy's ember eyes lit up as he spoke, making the blonde smile fondly at him.

"That would be great," she smiled, walking out of the small shop after him, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course," he smiled, kissing her on the cheek as she blushed furiously.

"All this cute is gonna make me sick,"

"Oh hush!" Levy smacked him playfully.

Lucy let out a sigh as he jogged away happily and started walking towards the mansion. She pulled out one of her tomes and opened it as she walked, stepping carefully as people began to filter out of the streets towards their homes with the dying sun. Gajeel pulled out his watch, feeling its familiar pull.

"Hm,"

"What?" Levy's curious eyes looked over at him.

"We're close," he grunted, snapping the little watch closed again, "But there's still a couple hours yet."

"Oh…"

Lucy stopped, casting her gaze around her before turning down a narrow street. She tucked her hair behind her ear nervously.

"She's lost," Levy twisted the hem of her dress as she followed.

"Eh? Why don't you just show her the way then?" Gajeel cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I can't. I can try and push her a certain direction, maybe calm her down, but I can't just tell her where to go. She can't see me, remember?" she hopped up to the blonde's side and tried to ease her to turn, but Lucy just stopped for a moment before continuing forward.

"Thick headed, ain't she?" Gajeel smirked over at Levy who didn't even try to smile.

"I don't like this, Gajeel," her voice hitched up slightly, almost panicked, "Gajeel, something's wrong,"

"There ain't nothin' wrong, calm down," he gripped his staff a little tighter though, taken back by the worry in her voice.

"Something bad's about to happen," she whispered, putting her fingers to her mouth, "Oh, Lucy, please turn around."

"Hey, hey, you lost, sweetheart?"

Lucy started, turning towards where the voice came from. A few thugs stood near an alleyway, raking their eyes up and down her figure. Gajeel's eyes trained immediately to the one who had just spoken. He could feel his pocket watch reacting to being near his soul.

"I'm just trying to get home," Lucy said uneasily, not stopping as she passed.

"You don't look like you're from around here," one of them walked up beside her, "Why don't you let us show ya around?"

"No, thank you," Lucy said firmly, brushing past him without hesitation.

"Come on," he grabbed her arm, "I bet we could show ya a good time,"

"I said no. Thank you." She tried to pull away but the other two had walked up and were blocking her exits and quickly bullying her towards the alley.

Levy tried to intervene as best she could, but without the ability to physically touch the offenders, they quickly herded Lucy into the alley. They pushed her around amongst themselves, laughing as she tried to get herself free only to be entangled in someone else's arms before being shoved away again.

"Let me go!"

"Aw, come on, love, lighten up…" Gajeel's target, the man who seemed to be in charge, wrapped his arm around her waist, "We're just having some fun,"

"Fancy she's that Heartfilia girl? Bet we could get a load of money from her parents if we held her for ransom," one of them smirked down at her.

"You think? Aw, but it'd be a shame to have such a pretty thing around if we're just going to get away,"

"Such a pretty doll," the man holding her restrained one of her arms as she tried to get away, "Maybe we should sully her up a bit?"

"No…" Levy whispered, horrified, "Oh, god, no…"

Lucy's eyes widened and she tried to fight harder even though it was in vain.

Gajeel gritted his teeth. A growl rumbled in his chest as he watched. Helplessness was a feeling foreign to him and he could feel his power surging at the feeling.

"I can't do anything…" Levy sunk to her knees, "Why can't I do anything?!"

Gajeel looked down at Levy, tears brimming her eyes as she stared down at her hands. Taking a steadying breath, he tightened his grip on his staff and stepped forward. Her eyes looked up to him, tears streaming down her cheeks as confusion filled them along with her anguish.

"Stay back," he ordered, "And don't touch anything,"

She opened her mouth to say something but he'd already turned to the offending party. He let his power push forward, transforming his staff into a large scythe. Sweeping it to the side, he gathered his power before bringing it forward and slicing through the air as green tendrils sprung forward from his scythe. Catching in its blade, millions of silver cords sprung forward from thin air.

And then time stopped.

"What… what is this?" Levy's eyes were wide as she stared around her. The cords that came from his scythe went in every direction as far as the eye could see.

Gajeel released his grasp on his scythe but it maintained its position, suspended in midair. Green tendrils sprung from his fingers as he moved, casting the alley in an eerie green glow as he approached his target.

"These are what ties souls to this world," Gajeel spoke, making the bluenette jump. He trailed his fingers down the cables gingerly, plucking one and following it to his intended victim.

Levy rose and walked up to him cautiously. He was emanating power and it frightened her. She'd never felt the type of power that was flowing off of him in waves now. He was like a different person, darker.

"I have the power of a god," he said after a length, his red eyes cutting over to her in a way that made her repress a shiver, "scary, isn't it?"

He reached forward and took a hold of the cord that connected to the man holding Lucy and yanked it from its connection. For a split second, the form wavered as the soul battled to remain in place before it settled again as if nothing had happened. Gajeel turned and walked back to his scythe, clenching his fists as he did.

Before he could pull back his power, however, Levy reached forward and placed her hands on the cord that connected to Lucy's chest.


	9. Life Has a Cruel Sense of Humor

_"__Sometimes life has a cruel sense of humor, giving you the thing you always wanted at the worst time possible.__"_

"Levy, don't!"

Too late.

As soon as her fingers brushed the cord it lit up with a golden light so blinding Gajeel flinched back to cover his eyes. Without thinking, he yanked his scythe out of its suspension, deactivating it as he did so. For a few seconds, chaos broke loose.

The man who'd been holding Lucy suddenly stumbled backwards, clutching his heart before tumbling into a heap on the ground. His soul remained standing, staring down at his own body with wide eyes. Lucy stumbled back as well, gasping as the light faded into her, causing her soul to appear golden for a moment as she too fell to the ground.

"Oi… Raph?" one of the thugs stepped up to him for a second, putting his hand down to shake his shoulder, "Raph?"

"Oh my god… he's dead!" the other one shrieked, "Dude… he's dead!"

"No way…" they both started backing away, "Let's get outta here!"

As the two ran away, Levy dropped on her knees next to Lucy.

"Is she ok?" Levy, hovered over her, casting worried eyes to Gajeel who was fuming.

"Is she ok?! How the hell would I know?! I told you not to touch anything!" he growled, his eyes shooting to the soul who was standing there confused, "And _you_. Don't you even think about runnin'."

"Am I… am I dead?"

Gajeel growled, stamping his foot for no other reason than he was pissed, "What a genius,"

The three froze as footsteps came running towards them. Gajeel and Levy started as Natsu suddenly rounded the corner, eyes filled with worry.

"Lucy!" he stood, eyes wide. He then turned to the three in the alley very deliberately, "What happened?!"

Gajeel narrowed his eyes at the pink-haired boy, "I knew there was something weird about you,"

"You can see us?!" Levy blurted, eyes wide.

"Well, yeah," he said as if it were obvious before a smile broke across his face, "I got a pretty good act, huh?"

He frowned then, "But seriously, what happened?"

"Asshole over here tried to rape your girl," Gajeel grunted, eyeing the soul who now looked extremely nervous.

"He what?" Natsu growled, clenching his fists.

"W-w-wait… I mean… I didn't…"

"And he was going to die in a few hours so I sped up the process," Gajeel continued coolly, crossing his arms, "And then shorty over there had to _touch something_ and now we don't know what the hell is going on,"

"I didn't think it would do anything!" she shrieked, glaring at Gajeel.

"I told you _not to touch anything_, didn't I?" he growled.

"Gajeel! Gajeel, Juvia saw…!" Juvia suddenly rounded the corner then, stopping in her tracks when she saw the crowd, "Juvia's confused?"

"Join the fucking club, Rain Woman," Gajeel growled.

"Lucy!" Natsu suddenly gasped, making the rest of them turn their attentions to the blonde who was beginning to stir.

"Nat…su?" she cracked her eyes open, "What…?"

Her eyes suddenly rested on Levy and then widened, "Wha?! Who are all of these people?! And you-!" she pointed to Raph's soul, then to the body laying on the ground, "What… what's going on?!"

"Lucy, calm down, you're safe now," Natsu smiled at her, making her calm slightly.

"Lucy! I was so worried!" Levy threw her arms around Lucy's shoulders, making the blonde stiffen.

"I, um… should I know you?"

Levy suddenly drew back, a nervous blush coming to her cheeks, "Oh… um… no, I guess… well…"

"She's your guardian angel," Gajeel huffed.

"My guardian angel?" she widened her eyes.

"Levy McGarden," Levy smiled and Lucy gasped as the shadows seemed to seep away slightly.

"So… what about you guys?" Lucy said, casting her eyes from Raph to Gajeel to Juvia, "Are you… angels?"

Gajeel stifled a guffaw, failing slightly and making Lucy blush in agitation even as confusion swam in her brown eyes.

"Ain't no way, Blondie," his smirk was so wide his fangs glistened, "Pervert over there is just a plain ol' soul. Juvia and I are reapers,"

"Really?" Natsu tilted his head to the side, "Aren't reapers supposed to be skeletons with scythes or something?"

"Not everyone gets a scythe," Juvia said quietly, "Only strong reapers do,"

Levy's eyes widened then as they rested on Gajeel's stern figure. He pretended he didn't notice.

"Speaking of," Juvia turned to Gajeel, "Juvia saw your magic. That's why Juvia rushed here," her brow furrowed, "What happened?"

"I'll tell ya later," Gajeel growled, glancing over to Raph who was steadily inching away from the group, "Right now I got a job to finish,"

"Wait… can I have a few minutes? I mean… all this happened so suddenly…" he backed away as Gajeel headed for him.

"Eh, heart attack is always a sudden way to go. But you've had plenty enough time," he grabbed his arm so he couldn't run, "And I'm already going to be skinned alive for taking a soul early, I'm not going to let it get away on top of it,"

"But… I mean…"

Gajeel brought his staff forward to tap the bricks of the alleyway, summoning the doorway.

"If I were you, I'd get home before it gets dark," he said, looking over his shoulder at Levy, "Wouldn't want any other mishaps,"

"Um… Gajeel…" she started but he'd already turned and walked through the passage.

* * *

Levy hung back as she followed Natsu and Lucy. She kept intertwining and re-intertwining her fingers out of nervousness. Natsu was chattering happily and Lucy was hesitantly starting to cheer up now that the chaos had begun to settle. Every once in a while she'd look over her shoulder to Levy who'd offer up her best smile she could muster. But in all honesty she felt far from happy, which might have been why night seemed to settle over them so quickly as they walked.

Juvia was walking next to her, eyeing her cautiously and wordlessly as they strolled.

"Is Levy ok?" she said at last, slightly breaking the gloom that had settled over the small girl's shoulders.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," her smile faltered, however, and she quickly turned her attention down to the sidewalk.

"Juvia hasn't known Levy for long, but she can tell Levy isn't ok," Juvia's eyes were soft and concerned, so very unlike Gajeel's as she looked down at her. She didn't know why, but she found herself quickly relaxing.

"It's just… if Gajeel hadn't been there… if that guy wasn't supposed to die… what would have happened?" Levy felt her voice catch as she talked even though she was trying to power through the lump in her throat, "I couldn't do anything. I couldn't stop it,"

She hugged herself despite not feeling cold. Helplessness was tugging her under, drowning her. What if Gajeel hadn't been there? She shuttered at the thought.

"Maybe it was fate?"

Levy jumped at that, looking back at Juvia with large eyes, "What?"

"Juvia isn't strong like Gajeel, and when Juvia has to separate two souls from each other, Juvia feels sad. But Gajeel always helps and if he can he'll take the harder jobs for Juvia. He's cold and he's mean at times, but Gajeel does things others can't do and takes the fall even if it's not his fault," Juvia was looking at the sky as she talked, a small smile working its way onto her face, "Maybe Gajeel met Levy because today was going to happen. Maybe Gajeel was supposed to be there to help Levy,"

"I guess I never thought of it like that…" Levy murmured, feeling a little better, "I'd gotten used to living by myself. I mean, I watched Lucy but she could never see me and at times it was lonely, but I didn't mind. When I met Gajeel, I didn't think I'd ever see him again or he'd ever become my friend. Now I guess I don't know what I'd do without him…"

"Gajeel talks fondly of his angel," Juvia said slyly, shooting Levy a look out of the corner of her eye.

Levy's face suddenly lit up a bright red, "I-I didn't mean… that is…"

Juvia just laughed, a sound like water falling over river stones to Levy's ears. She looked down on the shorter bluenette then, a smile on her face, "Levy seems too nice to be friends with Gajeel. Maybe, she'll keep Gajeel out of trouble. Maybe, she'll be his guardian angel, too?"

Levy smiled up at her, her eyes regaining their usual light, "I suppose someone has to,"


	10. He Meant You No Harm

_"__If you stepped out of the shower and saw a leprechaun standing at the base of your toilet, would you scream, or would you innately understand that he meant you no harm?__"_

"Master Jose," the small platinum blonde regarded the messenger with a friendly expression from her golden throne, "How goes the human world?"

"It fairs well, Master Mavis," he bowed low, his brow quirking as he did so, "Though, if I may, a request?"

She tilted her head to the side, her smile fading slightly, "Oh?"

"I have a reaper under my supervision who's been overstepping his bounds recently. It's a shame; he's been such a good servant for so long. It worries me," he straightened, his hands grasping the hems of his purple jacket.

"I see," her brow didn't furrow nor did her eyes show any signs of distress. She turned her attention to the man shrouded in black to her left, "What do you suggest we do, Master Zeref?"

His red eyes swept over to Master Jose, a look of disinterest on his features. He regarded the messenger, taking in the faint shiver that went through him while under his red gaze. He raised himself from his lax position on the cathedra shrouded in darkness.

"Send someone to watch his motives," he finally stated, his eyes boring into Jose's with a subtle intensity, "If they find him guilty of a crime, he will be brought before us and judged accordingly,"

Mavis smiled then, "I'll send someone immediately," she turned back to Jose, "Is that all, Master Jose?"

"Yes, M'lady," he bowed low once again, "M'lord,"

As he left the grand hall, a tense silence settled between the two.

"Is something wrong, Zeref?" Mavis turned her pale gaze to his red, no trace of her smile left on her face.

"There is something dark afoot," he replied simply, leaning into his palm. With a flick of his wrist, the doors reopened and a line of souls began to make their way through, "Death seems to have the upper hand,"

* * *

Gajeel lounged in the branches of the grand tree in the Heartfilia courtyard. His robes tumbled over the branches, ruffling every so often in the gentle summer breeze. Levy sat with her back at the base of its trunk, flipping through the pages of a book that Lucy had gotten for her while her ward was busy bickering with Natsu and cuddling the little blue kitten he'd brought with him.

"Why in the world did you name him Happy?" she cooed, nuzzling its forehead with her nose at the little thing purred happily.

"Because that's what he always is!"

"Happy isn't a name. Figaro or Pantherlily is a name, not _Happy_," she wrinkled her nose as she spoke it.

"Happy is too a name!"

The little kitten mewled and struggled out of Lucy's arms to head for Natsu.

"See? He even responds to it!" he beamed triumphantly.

Gajeel cracked open one red eye and gazed down at the angel happily engaged at the base of the tree, "Do they ever shut up?"

"I can hear you now, remember?" Lucy shot him a glare.

"And you're just as annoying as before," he grunted back, shifting so one of his arms was bent behind his head and the other one was free to hang.

"Do you not have a job today, Gajeel?" Levy's gentle voice wafted up to him on another warm breeze and he leaned his head over to meet her curious brown eyes.

"Nah. I had one earlier," he said coolly.

"Oh," she was her only reply.

He narrowed his eyes at her. She'd been standoffish ever since the night Lucy had been able to see them. She barely made eye contact with him and spoke little. If it weren't for the fact that she was sitting under the tree, he would have thought she was avoiding him. Not that it mattered. She didn't leave the blonde's side so it was like she'd be hard to find anyway. Not that he purposely sought her out or anything.

He opened his mouth to say something when her voice startled him into silence, "Do you sing?"

"What kind of a question is that?" he growled, closing his eyes again, much more confortable now that she was talking.

"Just a question," she said quietly, gazing at Natsu and Lucy as they chased after Happy through the garden.

He was silent for a moment, weighing his words before he spoke them. She seemed to think the conversation was over because she diverted her eyes from her watch and looked back down to the pages of her book. He let out a quiet sigh.

"I don't now many songs,"

He saw her start at his words, her blue curls bouncing at the movement. From where he was he could see a small smile coming to her face and a light blush tinge her cheeks. What was wrong with the strange girl now?

"What's one you know?"

"I dunno…" he sighed, quickly wracking his brain for a way to please the little angel, "Eh… I know _Death and the Lady_,"

"Will you sing it?"

He stared down at her, unable to neither deny nor accept her request. He'd never actually sung around anyone else before. At times when he'd roam the streets of the human world without much to do, he'd hum or sing, but of course then no one had been able to hear him. Sad, lonely songs falling on deaf ears. And although he wasn't anxious, he thought the idea of singing for someone else's ears besides his own as strange. But now that Levy's spirits were finally lifted, he felt the need to keep them that way.

So he took a deep breath, equally surprising himself and the blue-haired angel sitting beneath him as the words came forward like molten metal, warm and glossy with the summer sun.

_A young maid walked one day, one day  
__And met an aged man by the way.  
__His head was bald, his beard was grey,  
__His clothing made of the cold earthen clay,  
__His clothing made of the cold earthen clay._

_She said, "Old man, what man are you?  
__What country do you belong unto?"  
__"My name is Death—hast thou heard of me?  
__All kings and princes bow down unto me  
__And you fair maid must come along with me."_

_"I'll give you gold, I'll give you pearl,  
__I'll give you costly rich robes to wear,  
__If you will spare me a little while  
__And give me time my life to amend,  
__And give me time my life to amend"_

_"I'll have no gold, I'll have no pearl,  
__I want no costly rich robes to wear.  
__I cannot spare you a little while  
__Nor give you time your life to amend,  
__Nor give you time your life to amend"_

_In six months time this fair maid died;  
__"Let this be put on my tombstone," she cried,  
__"Here lies a poor distressed maid.  
__Just in her bloom she was snatched away,  
__Her clothing made of the cold earthen clay."_

"What an interesting song there, lad,"

Gajeel jumped in surprise and subsequently almost fell off the brand he was lounging on.

"What the hell?!" he caught himself and leaned forward so that his legs fell on either side of the branch, "Who the hell said that?!"

Levy stood in a flurry to find the source of the voice, only to cast her eyes around and come up empty.

"Up here,"

Gajeel craned his neck back and met a pair small black eyes.

"I must be going crazy," Gajeel muttered.

"Now why would you say something like that?" the man was aged in face and small in stature, with white hair poking out of a vibrant green hat and a pipe almost as long as he was tall sticking out of his mouth.

"What in the hell are you? A fucking leprechaun?"

His eyes gleamed mischievously and a smile curled under his white mustache, "Don't judge me by my size, lad, I can be rather big when I want to be,"

Levy beamed up at him and Gajeel silenced himself against her never-ending cheerfulness, "Hello, sir,"

"Well, hello Ms. McGarden," he smiled gently down at her. A look of surprise overcame her features as she stared up at him.

"How do you know my name?"

"I know many things," he said cryptically, making Gajeel roll his eyes.

"What do you want, old man?" he growled, crossing his arms.

"My name is Makarov Dreyar," he jumped down from the branch he was sitting on to land a little closer to the brooding reaper, "And I just came to see who was singing."

"Yeah, well, song's over," Gajeel mumbled, fighting a blush that was creeping up his neck. What happened that made it so everyone saw him? Because he was really starting to miss his days of solitude.

"Gajeel," Levy scolded. He shot her a glare in return which she promptly ignored.

"You wouldn't happen to have been the lad responsible for that little happening the other night, would you?"

"What's it to ya?"

"Gajeel!" Levy huffed.

Makarov's mustache twitched in amusement despite Gajeel's rude mouth, "I was just curious as to what happened. It's not every day a reaper has to resort to such drastic measures just to receive a soul,"

"Yeah, well, I ran into some complications," he growled, crossing his arms.

"GAJEEL!" Levy stamped her foot, finally gaining the reaper's attention, "Why are you saying that? You saved Lucy's life!"

"I just did my job," he grunted in return, not meeting her gaze.

"Did you really save someone's life, lad?" Makarov's voice had Gajeel pulling up his eyes to meet his. His voice seemed different, more authoritative than before, "Don't reapers only take lives, not save them?"

"You don't understand," Levy spoke up for him, "Lucy was in trouble, and the guy who was hurting her was someone Gajeel was supposed to escort. So he took his soul early so she would be ok. If anyone did anything wrong, it was me,"

"Now, why would you say something like that, child?" Makarov's eyes were soft as he gazed down her, a fatherly look in his eyes.

"Because I couldn't do anything to help, and so he had to," she fiddled with the seam of her dress as she spoke, staring down at her hands.

"Don't go sayin' shit like that," Gajeel growled, making her jump, "You would've figured something out if you had to. You're smart like that,"

"Easy for you to say! You can actually interact with humans! I can only plant an idea or lift darkness, maybe speed healing…"

"I can only _kill_ humans," he turned on her, making her fall silent, "and if it hadn't been near that guy's time to go, I wouldn't have been able to do anything either,"

Silence fell over them and Gajeel noticed that they'd attracted Natsu and Lucy's attentions, though they remained at a distance.

"Well, then," Makarov puffed on his pipe thoughtfully, "I guess I'll have to check in on you kids every now and again,"

"What?! Why in the hell would you need to do something like that?" Gajeel snapped.

But Makarov didn't say a word, only smiled mischievously at them before disappearing in a flurry of leaves.

* * *

**AN: Yes, I made Makarov a leprechaun! No, I have no regrets! **

**It may seem random now, but I'll be incorporating another Celtic myth a couple chapters from now so it fits a little better. No, it's not going to be a fairy or troll or anything like that. Ye shall see!**

**I hope ya'll enjoyed :) Finally pumped a chapter out that's a little longer for ya :) **


	11. Of Terror, of Horror, and of Disgust

_"__And the rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise -then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust… __And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall… And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.__"_

Gajeel strode through the quiet streets of the parish. As he cast his eyes about, he noticed all the doors locked and the windows shuttered. Not a soul was about during these dark morning hours, so close to the witching hours that the superstitious townsfolk were still apprehensive of. Sometimes he had to scoff at the strange delusions that humans would create about the world around them, although, he was finding more and more of them to be accurate.

Before he didn't believe angels could exist, much less a tiny man dressed in green that would randomly pop up to check in on him over the past couple of days. He never had anything particular to offer besides that fatherly look of his and obscure words of wisdom that Gajeel had no intentions of utilizing any time soon. Sometimes he would wonder if he was being punished for something, since why else would fate drop so many annoyances in his life?

As it had turned out, Natsu spent much more time around now that Lucy could see Levy and he. He hadn't the slightest idea why, but for some reason having a audience he could now openly recognize had made the strange pink-haired boy much more friendly, a fact that grated on Gajeel's nerves to an endless extent. Oh, and come to find out, he was friends with Grey, of course, which meant now that he was hanging around along with Juvia.

He looked up to the heavens, a silent and peaceful reprieve from the rather hectic turn his afterlife had taken recently.

Despite everything, he wasn't sure if he'd change a single thing. He preferred his solitude, true, but this all started because of Levy, and he wouldn't change their meeting for anything in the world. He'd grown strangely fond of her over their time knowing one another. Whenever he thought of her, his heart always skipped a few paces and warmth flushed through him as if the light that followed her wherever she went also came alight with his thoughts of her as well. His thoughts were slowly becoming consumed by her and he couldn't stop it even if he wanted to. Even now, walking down the darkened streets, he could picture those golden-brown eyes, full of smiles and stars as they gazed on him…

He stopped short in his tracks as a chill wrapped itself around him. His brow furrowed as his eyes focused around him. A thin mist had settled itself through the street, pooling around the small houses and reaching its icy fingers up his cloak. He brought his hand through the wafting fog, feeling the supernatural cold as it cut into his fingers and he brought his hand back abruptly.

Gajeel didn't know much when it came to the world around him, but he knew that for all intents and purposes, he was dead. He had no physical form. All he was was a soul with a purpose bestowed upon him when he was judged. Because he was a soul with no physical body, that meant he didn't feel the cold or heat. Wind passed through him even though it would toss his cape too and fro. This feeling, though, the feeling of cold he recognized instinctively despite the half of eternity he had spent without such contact. Cold, foreign and yet familiar, seeping into his flesh to lick his bones as he stood in the night.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked into the depths of the swirling fog, as unnatural for this time of year as snow. Despite the nagging sensation in the back of his mind to leave, he walked into the density, casting his keen eyes through it as best as he could. Then a noise, so faint at first but steadily growing stronger, had him stopping once again. An aged creaking noise, the gentle groanings of a contraption far past its limit of use, came from the source of the unnatural fog, along with the tired sound of hooves hitting the cobblestone.

Gajeel tightened his grip on his staff as a dark figure appeared in the growing white. As they approached, he could make out the silhouette of a cart though no horses pulled the front despite the sounds of hooves and tired huffs. He can up beside Gajeel, his cart stopping just a few feet away from him. His clothes were dark grey and tattered and a wide-brimmed hat pulled down over his face so Gajeel couldn't make out his features. White hair tumbled over his shoulders and pooled around him on his perch. With subtle alarm, Gajeel noticed that the specter carried a scythe in one hand while the other gripped a lantern that exuded an eerie light blue light with no fire or source.

"Hello, Reaper,"

Gajeel felt his blood run cold at the voice. Seemingly disincarnate from the figure before him, it was raspy and low, drawing out his words as if it took an effort to speak them.

"Gentle night, is it not?"

"Aye," Gajeel regarded the man warily. Something didn't feel right.

"Tell me, Reaper, how do the stars fare?"

"The… stars?"

"Yes," he stated slowly, lifting his head and turning it towards Gajeel's direction. He took a decaying hand and pushed gently back the brim of his hat, revealing to Gajeel his face. Gajeel recoiled at the sight that offered itself to him then as two rotting, maggot infested sockets met him instead of eyes. The flesh of his face was decaying and dry; pulled tight against his skull but so decrepit around his jaw that Gajeel could see the bone and his rows of bottom teeth. It was then that the stench of rotting flesh hit him with full force and made bile rise into his throat.

"I'm sure they are as majestic as you'd remember," Gajeel forced out through his teeth, his mind working quickly. If this man was blind, how could he tell of Gajeel's presence? He had been standing still when the carriage rider had come upon him, which meant no footsteps that would give away his company. And furthermore, what was this creature? He'd never seen a reaper of the like, not to mention this was within Gajeel's reign. Jose wouldn't have added another reaper without first notifying him. And yet he carried with him a scythe, which would lend to an extremely powerful reaper, especially if it was kept in its manifested form.

"That is good," he voice was like the mist, cascading past him in wisps like wind.

"I've never met one such as yourself before," Gajeel said deliberately, studying the decomposing face before him, "May I ask your name?"

"Death has stripped me of my name," he droned, and Gajeel felt the creeping suspicion that his eyes weren't as blind as he had originally thought as he stared at the maggots that were writhing in his sockets, "I am just a simple servant to his deeds, much like yourself, though I am borne of something much different."

He pulled back down the brim of his hat and turned forward, as if he were to disembark.

"Tell me, Reaper, what to you is the life of a mortal?"

Gajeel stayed in shocked silence for a moment before answering, "It matters not to me whether a mortal lives or dies. So long as their time on earth is up, I will bring them to the gate,"

"Humans are such reckless creatures. They slave under each other's names and fight fruitless wars. How their race has survived is a phenomenon to me. I wonder if their darkness is too much for even themselves to quench,"

Gajeel heard the nervous stamping of hooves and the cart began to roll lazily forward once again.

"We are not so different, you and I, Reaper," he crooned, turning his head almost completely around to meet Gajeel's gaze one last time, "We both see human life as a frivolous venture,"

Before Gajeel could reply, there was a rush of wind and cold, biting into him harshly so that he pulled his cape about himself to stave of the incorporeal chill. When he opened his eyes once again and turned his head to face the specter, he was gone, leaving Gajeel with a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Without hesitation, he headed for the Heartfilia mansion. If anyone would know about human legends or otherworldly things, it would be a certain bluenette who spent almost all of her time in a library. But as he travelled swiftly through the now ominous darkness of the streets, he couldn't help the feeling that something strange was underway.


	12. She Saw His Shadow

_"I__f he stopped moving, he would self-destruct._

_If he stopped wandering, he would have to face himself._

_He chose to stay in the dark where he couldn't see._

_If he exposed himself and the sun came out, he'd see his shadow…_

_She saw his shadow, loved it, understood it. Saw potential in it._

_She thought her love would change him."_

Gajeel glided through the doors of the mansion and up several flights of stairs towards where he could only assume the bedchambers were located. Having already passed the library and seen no trace of the angel or her blonde companion – not that they really should be reading at this hour – he hurried up the stairs at an alarming pace. A scowl was plastered across his face as he walked, green tendrils snapping from his fingers that gripped his scythe as if his life depended on it. Where was the little bookworm when he needed her?

He stopped to gather his wits and finally chanced a look around him. Peaking into one room, he noticed it was indeed a bedchamber, though devoid of human contact and seemed to have been that way for a long time. Figuring he was in the right vicinity, he began checking the rest of the rooms until he came to one with a door slightly ajar. He noticed pale moonlight trickling from the crack of the door, piquing his interest as he nudged towards the door.

His breath caught as he peered into the room when his eyes caught sight of a slim figure in the moonlight. Levy stood in the middle of the room, her blue curls tumbling over her pale shoulders and seeming to glow in the shimmering light. She looked like a nymph, all pale and porcelain as she slipped her dress above her head and cast it aside only for it to shatter into gentle pinpricks of light against the ground. He couldn't stop his eyes from trailing down the gentle curve of her spine and hips, his throat closing tightly as he stared. The better part of his judgment urged him to turn away before she would notice his presence, but he couldn't find it in his power to move and he was bound in place as if under some spell. She stretched her arms over her head - and enticing posture even as innocent as it was – and as she did so she conjured another dress out of light before her, quickly slipping it over her shoulders to hide her silhouette from him.

Gulping hard, he forced himself to round behind the door, his hand gripping his chest as he stood. His heart was pounding in his chest as if he'd just committed murder and surely the nervousness in the pit of his stomach did little to help. He was shaking and out of breath, the sight he'd just witnessed sucking the breath from his lungs even though he was out of its enrapturing grasp. He licked his lips, letting out a trapped sigh in order to calm his nerves. Maybe it was because he'd already been shaken up earlier that night or maybe he'd fallen harder than he'd thought for the innocuous sprite, but he felt like he was about to collapse from the weakness in his knees.

Dear Mavis, now was _not_ the time.

_But then, when would it be?_

He shook his head just as soon as the thought tried to snatch ahold of him. She was a creature of light and he darkness. There was nothing he could offer her in the world that they lived in; together but so desperately separate. And furthermore, there were pressing matters at hand. He couldn't let his feelings suddenly run off with his heart, those emotions that hadn't been stirred since the day he'd walked from the Judging Room and started the afterlife that had become all he'd ever known. And love, the preposterous thought, wasn't for the dead. It was for the living, which was something he definitely was not.

Deep breath in.

Deep breath out.

He knocked sternly on the door and then opened it.

Her head tilted in surprise at seeing him enter.

"Gajeel?" a small smile lit up her features, "What are you doing here?"

"What do you know about reapers?" he asked harshly, stifling the blush that was still creeping up his neck.

"Um…" he could see her mind working as she thought, pulling through a near infinite amount of information, "Not much. Mostly just what I've learned from you,"

She blushed as she spoke and diverted her eyes.

"You haven't heard of any other kind of reaper? Anything at all?" he pressed, crossing his arms in agitation.

"No," her gaze was far off as she thought, trying to remember. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and a smile broadened across her features, "But I know a good place to check,"

"O-oi!"

She grabbed his wrist and tugged him after her down the halls. He was glad she was hurrying ahead of him or else she'd notice the deep crimson his face had turned to her touch. Her hands were warm. It was such a contrast to what he'd felt earlier that night in the street that he lost almost all remembrance of the harsh cold that had assaulted his senses. He could feel her, a comfort working its way into his heart and stirring inside of him a heavy feeling, although not unpleasant. It was a feeling like his world was revolving, shifting his position and turning his eyes to a new focus. A strength inside her soul was seeping into his being, wrapping itself through his veins and coaxing him to her. Mystified, feeling as if under a spell, he reached forward against his inhibitions to trail his fingers down the curve of her spine…

She broke the contact as they entered the library, leaving him standing in the doorway feeling as if he'd just been blindsided. His hand was still poised in the air where he had stretched it and he felt cold an empty without her touch. He was confused, wondering why she would want to break her grasp on him before realizing the reason for their departure in the first place. He shook his head and let out a slow breath, suddenly recognizing the fact that his heart was beating as if he'd just run a marathon.

Dear Mavis, he had to get a grip. _Now was not the time to-_

"Gajeel, are you ok?" Levy called from across the room, her eyes wide and worried at the stricken look in his face.

"Fine," he grunted, reining in his emotions enough to approach her as she turned to study the shelves. Her eyes brushed over the spines longingly, a light smile playing at the corner of her lips as she read the titles. He had no idea what was going through her mind as she stood there looking as if she were meeting a long lost friend. But that was how she was around books.

Her eyes lit up when they fell on a particular title as he strode up behind her. Her smile faded then as realization suddenly came to her.

The girl couldn't reach it.

"U-um…" she blushed furiously, "Gajeel, could you-?"

He was already reaching up for it when she noticed he was there. As his fingers grabbed hold of the leather-bound tome, she jumped in surprise, falling against him in the process and tangling their legs together. Instinctively, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him as they tumbled with a loud thud. His staff – which he'd abandoned during their blunder – came back with a vengeance and hit him on the head.

"Dammit!" he swore, rubbing his forehead angrily, "What the hell, Shorty?"

"S-sorry, sorry…" she blushed, looking up at him from her new perch on his chest.

"I… um…"

She was so close he could feel her summery breath against his face. Blue locks trailed against his cheeks and her sweet perfume filled his lungs. She was so beautiful and _there_ and his arm was still wrapped around her waist. Her flushed cheeks were slowly starting to dim as they peered into each other's eyes, searching for permission to do something neither of them were sure of. He didn't know where he found the courage to bring his hand up to her cheek but he did, and she leaned into his caress with longing in her large brown eyes. Her tiny fists were gripping his shirt tightly, her skin a stark white against his dark attire.

"You ok?" he managed softly, a hoarse whisper followed by a reluctant smile.

"Yeah," she whispered, "I'm just a little… shaken, I guess,"

"I know how ya feel,"

"Levy? You down…" Gajeel could feel Levy stiffen above him and he tilted his head back to see a particular blonde standing in the doorway, eyes wide and face shocked, "…here…"

"Lu!" Levy scrambled up, a flurry of orange skirts and blush, "Wh-what are you doing awake?"

Gajeel didn't even try to stand up, not trusting his legs with such an important task. He just lay there, staring numbly at the blushing angel and mischievous-looking blonde who both seemed to have forgotten his presence. Fine by him, he like being invisible anyway. He stared at the ceiling, idly wondering what would have happened if Lucy hadn't conveniently come downstairs, then quickly brushed the thoughts away as heat started to flood his face.

"Oh, I'm just wondering what you're doing up, Lev. If I'd had known you'd be having company, I would have gotten you a proper room," Lucy smirked.

"I-I-It wasn't like that! We were going to do some research!"

"Oh, I can see that,"

"Lucy! Stop it!"

"Should I leave you two to your _research_, then?"

"Gajeel! Tell her we weren't doing anything!"

Gajeel's red eyes cut to the two girls, "The girl was too short to reach a damn book," he grunted.

"Oh? So that's why you were both on the floor?"

"She's clumsy,"

"GAJEEL!"

"What? You told me to tell her what happened."

Lucy just shook her head as they bickered, a knowing smile still on her face.


	13. The Dust of Murder

**AN: Ok, let me clarify something real fast that I probably should have been doing from the get go: I don't own any of the quotes. The only one that was written spur of the moment belongs to my sister. (I'm so not brilliant enough to come up with anything worth quoting lol) And if you'd guys like I can start citing the people/books they're from if you guys wanna check out some similar. I will say most of them come from the website GoodReads, otherwise they would have all sounded like cliche Facebook quotes. **

**Anyway, sorry for the interruption! Please enjoy and review! :)**

* * *

_"__In all ages the people have honored those who dishonored them. They have worshiped their destroyers; they have canonized the most gigantic liars, and buried the great thieves in marble and gold. Under the loftiest monuments sleeps the dust of murder."_

"Is there anything else I can do for you, my friend?" purple eyes lusted in the mist, a glint of something dark in his portals.

"No, My Lord. Allow me to collect strength and I shall bestow upon you the highest powers," the voice was like the mist, detached from the earth and sending chills down one's spine with its cold drone.

"Take as many as will satisfy you,"

"You are most gracious,"

"Just remember our deal,"

"My name, My Lord,"

"When I have the power to dethrone Zeref, then you shall have the most grand of names, my friend,"

* * *

"So, why are you here, anyway?" Lucy stared down at Gajeel, her eyes almost as large and brown and curious as Levy's. Almost.

"I saw something and I don't know what it… who… it was," he pushed himself off the floor to stand, "That's why I cam here, to see if Levy knew anything,"

"And then we came downstairs to see if there was anything in the library," Levy finished, fanning herself nervously with her hand. Her blush was still searing her cheeks and she refused to look Gajeel in the eye.

"What did you see?" Lucy hopped onto one of the tables, propping her elbows onto her knees.

"Well…" Gajeel ran his fingers through his black locks, a nervous habit that he'd never really gotten around to breaking, "He looked like a reaper but was driving a cart. Fog followed him and it was cold to the touch. He seemed blind but… I dunno," his far off expression, whatever look it had given him, made the girls seem shaken, "He had long white hair and a large grey hat and cloak. An-"

He froze when he felt his watch suddenly get weighted, the iron contraption making a strange clicking sound. He pulled it out, his eyes widening at the hands.

"What is it?" Levy peered at the trinket, "Is something wrong?"

His eyes widened as he watched the hands, twitching senselessly back and forth between one and two. As he held it, the weight seemed to grow heavier and his magic reacted automatically to the pull. He cast his eyes in the direction, a mental map beginning to take form in his mind.

"Gajeel, what's going on?" Levy persisted, reaching forward to touch his arm when he didn't respond.

"I… I need to leave," he headed for the window, "Don't leave the mansion,"

"Wait, what's going on? Gajeel!"

He fazed through the wall, not bothering to take the walk to the door. He was running as fast as he could. This had never happened before, such a weight in his hands as he held the foretelling trinket. He was being called into Juvia's territory… but why? Her region was relatively well off, having a few sparse towns and widespread countryside. Food was in abundance and the weather was good. So why was he needed beyond his own border?

He followed the hands like a compass, running as fast as he could with legs that wouldn't weary. It wasn't long when he came to a small town, mist wafting around all of the buildings and small streets. He slowed, making out figures in the mist, and approached with caution.

The first was a man heaped on his side near a shop. His skin was a sickly and pale and his fingertips were a deep purple. Gajeel wrinkled his nose in disgust at the smell of death that permeated the air around him. He was shaking uncontrollably, foam and bile leaking out of his mouth as his eyes rolled back in his head. Gajeel cast his eyes away, seeking refuge from the terrible sight only to see a woman leaning against the wall moaning. Her eyes were unfocused and she was murmuring to herself, holding a small swaddle in her arms. Upon closer inspection, Gajeel realized it was a child, white and covered in black boils. The mother was shaking, coughing hysterically as she cradled the child and muttering incoherently as she stared off in front of her, eyes unseeing.

The further Gajeel walked, the more people were lying in the streets. He felt numb, his mind not wanting to process the devastation around him. Then he spotted a familiar figure hunched in the road, sobbing hysterically as she clumsily tried to pull blankets around three small figures. They were siblings it seemed, all similar with striking white hair. Juvia was bawling, patting their heads even though she knew they couldn't feel her presence.

"Juvia," Gajeel called and she looked up at him, dull eyes watering even more as he walked up. She flung herself to his chest, wrapping her fingers into his shirt as she wept, her body shaking heavily. Gajeel hugged her back, letting her duck her head away from the gruesome sights around them.

So many people dying in the streets.

"Juv-via… Juvia d-doesn't kn-know what happened," she sobbed, burying her face deeper into his chest, "Th-they're all… They're all…"

Gajeel's body went rigid as his ears caught a familiar sound. He pulled Juvia to his side protectively, still allowing her to cry against him as a shape began to materialize from the chill. Gajeel felt his heart freeze as he realized he'd seen the figure before and he took a step back, gripping his staff so tightly that green magic began snapping at the air.

The cart edge closer, slow yet deliberate, and the hunched figure lifted his head slightly as he cast about with blind eyes. Then, he tilted his head backwards and opened his decaying maw, letting loose a piercing shriek to the heavens. Juvia screamed and sunk deeper against Gajeel while he stumbled away, his sensitive ears ringing painfully. The trill faded, and as it did, souls started pulling out of the bodies in the streets and trailing out of doors and windows of houses. The hands on Gajeel's watch were spinning quickly, trying to keep up with the amount of deaths happening all at once.

The souls converged on the reaper's cart, climbing in with dead eyes and broken and sick spirits. The decaying cart-driver held out his hand and stopped three of the approaching souls, once proud men now broken down to dulled sleepwalkers. Chains sprung from the sides of the cart, wrapping harshly around the necks of two of the souls and causing them to scream and fall, writhing to the ground. To the third, he reached out his hand and pulled up his chin towards his opening orifice. To Gajeel's horror and dismay, he pulled the struggling soul into his mouth and swallowed him down. Then, sinews began to attach on the death-ridden body and two gleaming red fires lighted in his maggot-infested sockets.

Gajeel didn't think but he suddenly became aware that they were in imminent peril. He shook the trembling Juvia, trying to bring the girl out of her hysterics.

"Juvia! Juvia, listen to me!" he kept glancing nervously at the cart as it maintained it slow approach, phantasmal horses suddenly springing up and rearing in the mist where there had been nothing just moments before, "You need to run! Do you hear me?!"

"J-Juvia… she c-couldn't save…"

"JUVIA! GODDAMMIT, RUN!" he screamed, throwing her behind him, "Find Grey and Natsu, get them to the mansion. Get as many people off the streets as you can!"

She turned and fled as fast as she could as the cart driver descended from his perch. He wafted forward like a wraith his feet not touching the ground as he came forward.

"You can't keep her from me…" his voice made Gajeel retreat a few steps as it slid icy fingers around his heart, "I will consume her, reaper, along with the rest of her district,"

"These people weren't meant to die," Gajeel growled, activating his scythe and taking a defensive pose, "What did you do?"

A smile crept across his decrepit features, his teeth gleaming, "Did I not say the human existence was a trivial one? They have no knowledge of the forces constantly working around them… I only called them to their ultimate fate,"

Gajeel growled, swinging his scythe aggressively at the reaper in order to perturb his approach.

"Don't tell me you care, cold reaper?" his smile began to waver as he too brought his scythe forward and poised for attack, "Are you as weak as the woman to presided here?"

"Juvia isn't weak," Gajeel snarled, jumping back to catch the opposing reaper's scythe with his own as he brought down a powerful strike, "She cares about the humans she watches over,"

"But that's what makes her so fragile," his face was so close as he pressed down against Gajeel, just inches away from his own, "and like all lambs that are eventually taken down by the wolves, I will devour her as well and rid the world of her weakness,"

Gajeel huffed as he fought to regain the upper hand.

"And then, red-eyed reaper, I'm coming for you,"


	14. The Essential Truth of Life

_"The essential truth of life, he was coming to realize, wasn't romantic and took only two words to label: Shit. Happens. But the thing was, you kept going. You kept your friends and your family and your mate as safe as you were able. And you kept fighting even after you were knocked down." ― __J.R. Ward__, __Lover Mine_

Levy and Lucy had been hard at work since Gajeel had rushed away. Levy's brow creased in worry, her lips set in a grim line as she tried to keep her mind on the task at hand. She'd never seen him so shaken before. He was always so stoic unless teasing her with that mischievous smirk that would often lit up those red eyes with electricity. The only other emotion she'd ever seen him have was a grim determination when he'd saved Lucy, or that obvious look of annoyance that would turn the corners of his lips down whenever Natsu or Grey were around.

But the look in his eyes when he suddenly left…

"Levy, I think I found something," Lucy suddenly piped, bringing the bluenette out of her progressively negative thoughts and calling her brown eyes to the page Lucy had opened to. They'd been looking through any books about myths and folklores that they could find since Lucy was kept in the mansion and so never exposed to the conspiracies of the townsfolk in the area. But the passage they'd found was chilling.

_"It is said that the Ankou is a death omen that collects the souls of the deceased. The Ankou is thought to be the last person to die in a parish during a year and will assume the duty of calling for the dead. They describe the Ankou as a tall, haggard figure with long white hair and a wide brimmed hat pulled down to cover his face. The Ankou is said to drive a cart and carry a large scythe and stops at the house of someone who is about to die. It knocks on the door, a sound that is sometimes heard by the living, or it could give out a mournful wail like the Banshee. The Ankou has also been reported as an apparition entering the house, it takes away the dead who are then placed in the cart with the help of two ghostly companions."_

"You think that's who he was talking about?" Lucy murmured, her eyes studying the aged paper as if it would give her more answers.

"I don't know…" Levy let out a tight sigh, leaning back against the chair she'd taken post in and twiddling her fingers nervously, "You… you don't think I should have followed him, do you?"

Lucy shot her a sly look, "You're worried about him?"

"I-I mean…" Levy blushed and looked away, taking refuge behind her blue curls, "He seemed really worried…"

"You liiiiiike him…"

"Lu! I do not!"

"That's not what it looked like when you were on top of him earlier,"

"That was an accident!"

"Then why are you turning red?"

A knock at the window suddenly jolted the two out of their conversation. Lucy peered through the window cautiously before letting out a surprised yelp when someone jumped into view.

"Natsu!" Lucy hissed, sliding the window open quietly, "What are you doing here?!"

"Hey, Luce," he smiled widely, that look alone brightening the entire room as he climbed in, "I, uh, well…"

"Move over, lame brain!" Grey shoved him over as he tried to make purchase on the windowsill, "I gotta get in too, ya know!"

"Grey? Juvia? What are you guys doing here?" Levy asked curiously as Juvia wafted in after, not bothering with climbing and choosing instead to just ghost through the wall as Gajeel had only hours before. Levy's brow furrowed as she took in the reapers look, her eyes red from fresh tears and numb horror in her gaze. Levy felt her stomach twist uneasily, "Juvia, what's wrong?"

For a moment the reaper tried to hold back her tears before falling to her knees in harsh sobs. Levy rushed to her side and put her arm around her, her stomach sinking as she thought of what could have caused Juvia to break down like this. She looked up to Grey and Natsu, eyes imploring for answers but the two only replied with shock on their faces.

"Juvia… what happened?" Levy tried to be calm, but her voice seemed to be wavering despite her efforts.

"Juvia doesn't know…" she spoke between sobs, her voice so full of grief it made Levy's heart ache, "They… they're all…"

"Who's they?" Grey said, coming to her side – albeit awkwardly – and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"M-my district… the people I watch over…"

"What happened to them?" Levy met her icy blue eyes, searching for answers amidst the hopeless sorrow.

"They all got sick… it was awful. No one knows a cure… so many of them," her voice stopped and Levy watched as her face contorted in horror as she remember something, "And then, a man in a cart came. He screamed and they all… they…"

"They _what_ Juvia,"

"They all died!" she wailed, throwing her arms around Levy and burying her face into her shoulder, "Juvia couldn't do anything! Their souls were stolen away by… by…"

She lost herself in delirious sobs and Levy wrapped her arms around her shoulders, trying her best to comfort her. She did everything she could think of, warming her, trying to make her feel calm, and consoled her as best she could. After a time, her weeping started to quiet and she released Levy from her embrace.

"Where's Gajeel?" Natsu suddenly voiced, causing Juvia to stiffen in alarm.

"Juvia left him," she said quietly, her eyes once again filling with horror, "Gajeel told Juvia she had to run, she had to get Natsu and Grey and go to the mansion. But Gajeel didn't run after her…"

Levy felt like she was going to get sick. She could only imagine what a threat this strange reaper had to be if he had Gajeel worried enough to tell Juvia to run. Had he stayed to try and free the souls? But if he had, why wouldn't he ask for help? Especially when he didn't even know what he was up against?

Her heart stopped.

What if he was hurt?

Or worse…

"I'm going to look for him," Levy suddenly concluded, standing up and heading for the door.

"What? Are you crazy?" Lucy grabbed her arm, "You heard what Juvia said. What if this thing is seriously dangerous?"

"So Gajeel should be left out there to fight it alone?" Levy turned around on her, eyes uncharacteristically frenzied, "What if he gets hurt?"

"Gajeel's a strong reaper, he'll be fine," Lucy protested, though she didn't meet Levy's gaze directly, showing her doubt.

"Whatever it is, he was wary of it. Why else would he come here and try and figure out what it was?" Levy protested, snatching her arm away and turning again, "I have to do something,"

"Like what? You're not a fighter, Levy!"

Suddenly, a sound like thunder shook the building and caused them all to freeze. Levy doubled over, pain suddenly making her heart ache. This was a feeling she'd known before. She'd felt it before once when Lucy had broken her arm and then against when later in her life she'd broken her ankle. She'd felt something similar the night when Lucy had been attacked. This feeling meant someone was seriously hurt, but when her eyes when first from Lucy and then to the rest of them in the room she bit her lip as confusion made her head spin. If they weren't hurt, then who…?

"Gajeel!" Juvia gasped and fazed through the wall. Levy scrambled for the window, her eyes widening at the sight.

There were scorch marks in the grass around where a hunched figure stood, what looked to be green energy snapped around him. He suddenly fell to his knees and then over to his side as Juvia rushed towards him. Levy felt her heart seize, a feeling like her world was smashing around her. Was he… did he just…?

She rushed up to the window, throwing it open and jumping to the wet grass. She almost tripped over her own feet in her haste as she rushed to where the two were. Juvia was yelling his name, trying to get him to respond.

_No. _

_Nononononono._

"For Mavis's sakes, get off me Rain Woman!" his voice was gruff, trying to hide the fact that he was in pain. He tried to push himself up, his arm wrapped around his side protectively as Juvia tried to help him.

Rain suddenly started to pour.

"Juvia's so sorry!" Juvia wailed, tears flowing again, "She shouldn't have left, she should have stayed and helped…"

"Shut the fuck up," he snapped, making her fall into a shocked silence, "There wasn't shit you could do,"

"Gajeel…" Levy's voice wavered as she looked at him, pain evident on his face as he once again tried to stand. She moved quickly, unclipping his cape and pushing it away from whatever wound he was hiding.

"O-oi…" he protested, trying to keep her away despite the sluggishness in his limbs. She shoved his arm away, exposing a deep gash that ran from his hip all the way across his naval. Blood was soaking his shirt and saturating the ground.

"Juvia," Levy spoke numbly, dread making her voice shiver, "go get some bandages,"

When she looked into his gleaming red eyes, her breath hitched. Pain was evident, writhing and angry and making his face grimace despite him trying to stave it off. But lying underneath the pain a fury shuffled against his soul, so powerful and incensed it make his ruby eyes look like dark, swirling pools of blood. For a moment, he grabbed Levy by the collar and pulled her close enough for his breath to whisper hot and tattered across her face.

"I ain't gonna die," he growled, fangs flashing, "I'm gonna kill him first."

* * *

**Someone asked for the authors of the quotes I had listed before, so here they are if you were interested :) And I'll go ahead and start posting the authors and books the quotes are from from now on. Thanks for reviews! I really appreciate them :)**

**Chapter 1: Jean Cocteau  
****Chapter 2: Urr (From Fairy Tail)  
****Chapter 3: (I don't own this quote but can't find who wrote it, sorry D: )  
****Chapter 4: Isobelle Carmody (The Farseekers (The Obernewtyn Chronicles, #2))  
****Chapter 5: Jessica Darling (my sister)  
****Chapter 6: Carrie Underwood  
****Chapter 7: Alain de Botton  
****Chapter 8: George R.R. Martin (A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2))  
****Chapter 9: Lisa Kleypas (Sugar Daddy (Travises, #1))  
****Chapter 10: David Sedaris (Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls)  
****Chapter 11: Edgar Allen Poe (The Mask of the Red Death)  
****Chapter 12: G.G. Renee Hill (The Beautiful Disruption)  
****Chapter 13: Robert G. Ingersoll (Humboldt From 'The Gods and Other Lectures')**


	15. Imminent Death Scenes

_"Fang looked at me, hope in his eyes, and I smirked at him. I save the huge emotional kissy-face for imminent death scenes. This probably didn't qualify." ― __James Patterson__, __Max_

When the pain lanced through his midsection, Gajeel's mind couldn't quite wrap around what had just happened. For a moment, as he was crumpling to the ground, he just wondered why he was feeling such a burning in his insides. He was dead, he shouldn't be able to feel pain. So why was he lying on the ground trying to stifle the wound that was oozing heat through his fingertips to saturate the ground around him. Why was blood, thick and hot and _alive_, making a puddle around him as his breath was becoming labored and his vision was growing foggy?

He knew the second blow would come. It was only a matter of time. So, gathering all the strength he had left, he did the one thing he couldn't bring himself to accept: he retreated.

In a last ditch effort, he used the rest of his power for an ability he'd only experimented with once and his ability to understand was rudimentary at best. He teleported, well, sort of. It was more like transferred his energy somewhere else by using his scythe as a catalyst to the storm Juvia had brewed earlier with her remorse. And so he was then sent wherever she was, following her energy.

He was enraged as well as relieved when he saw the mansion. It meant he was safe from harm but it also meant he'd run away like a mutt with its tail tucked between his legs. And speaking of legs, his weren't doing too well in holding him up. His energy was drained and he could already feel the blood loss taking its toll on his body, ethereal as it was and yet still somehow dependent on something so _human_.

After seeing Levy, he couldn't quite grasp what was going on around him. She was helping him to his feet, carrying him towards the doors of the mansion despite her tiny form. He could feel her comforting heat again, seeping into his body like sunshine on a cold day. He was so close to her he could smell the fragrance from her hair, lilies maybe, or lilac. And since she'd touched him, he didn't feel so in pain anymore. That seemed to be what she was good at, easing the pain of others.

She was lying him down on a table, her pale fingers brushing across the skin of his torso easily. Maybe he'd blacked out for a moment, but he couldn't remember when she'd gotten bandages or when his bleeding had eased so much. That could just be her power at work again, though.

Or maybe he was seriously dying.

"Gajeel? You're still awake, aren't you?" she was talking calmly, though almost monotone as she tried to stay composed. But her brown eyes spoke volumes, burdened with worries so deep she almost looked like some aged healer instead of the benign nymph that she really was.

He brought his hand up to hold hers still against his chest, his fingers almost as pale as hers now. She was so warm, or maybe he was just cold.

"Hey…" he said gently, catching those worried eyes of hers and giving her his smirk, an act to say he was ok despite the circumstances, "What's with that face, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she feigned that indignant tone, her eyes sad for some reason.

"Those eyes," his smile faded a little and he dared to bring his hand up to her face and brush his fingers against her cheek, fingers that were becoming numb and could no longer feel her comforting warmth, "They're not s'posed to be sad…"

She turned her head from him but he could still smell it, that sour, salty scent that seemed all the worse coming from her, "I'm not sad, idiot. I'm too busy being angry at you for fighting that thing alone,"

"Well, Juvia wasn't really in the mood," he chuckled but it turned into a pained wheeze at the end.

"You need to stop," she hushed quietly, "Can you sit up?"

"Sure, why not?" he growled, gritting his teeth at the fire that ignited in his sliced muscles as he made to move. He struggled through it with her help but he couldn't help but lean back on his palms, his muscles too damaged to hold him up.

Her brow creased again as she began to lift up his shirt. It was all tatters and soaked in blood and suctioned painfully to the slice in his flesh when she started to move it. He tried to hold in any signs of pain, but a rogue hiss that slithered past his guard had her frenzied gaze studying his face as she continued.

"U-um, Gajeel?" her face started to blush furiously as she tried to meet his gaze. Despite his pain, he could already tell he wasn't going to let her live whatever she was about to say down, "I need to undo your pants,"

"Jeeze, Shrimp," he geeheed, wincing at the pain but still unable to restrain his laughs, "At least ask me to dinner first,"

"Its so I can wrap your wound, you lewd, arrogant ass!" she snapped despite the smile touching her lips.

"Geehee… I know I do something right when I make the angel swear," his words were starting to slur and he was feeling lightheaded. He couldn't miss the uneasiness in her eyes, though; so apparent it almost stung to see it there in those beautiful orbs. He stayed silent when she undid his belt and slithered his blood-soaked pants down to hang low on his hips. Then her fingers were working incredibly fast, wrapping and rewrapping his wound as quickly as she could.

It hurt to move, to laugh at the blush that was still tingeing her cheeks a delicate scarlet. But her touch made him loll his head back and close his eyes. His mind was swimming, maybe from the blood loss or maybe from the realization of his own mortality, but he felt like he had to know a few things before he died. He had to set some things straight despite the consequences.

"Gajeel, I'm done," she spoke calmly and he could feel her reaching for him. Sluggishly, he brought his head back up to meet her gaze. Her eyes were wide and calculating, figuring out something he couldn't comprehend, but whatever it was had a grim look set on her features.

"Took ya long enough," he huffed, his breathing much more labored than it should have been. He crooked up the corner of his mouth, studying her, "You ain't seriously worried about me, are ya?"

"Of course I am!" she blurted, tears finally streaking freely down her face, "You… you…"

"Hey," he frowned at her, not understanding why she was so upset, "I told ya, I ain't gonna die,"

"You're hardly in the position to talk," she muttered bitterly, quickly wiping her eyes in a nervous attempt at keeping calm.

He didn't know where he found the strength in his deadened limbs to move, but he wrapped his arm around her tiny waist and pulled her against him. At first she seemed reluctant, but then she nuzzled her face against his neck gently, her tears making his skin damp despite her efforts to quell them.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had feelings for me," he growled, his voice soft and far off.

"Good thing you know better,"

Why did her voice sound so muffled when she was right by his ear? He suddenly tumbled backwards, his elbow buckling under him as it lost the remainder of its strength. He was finding it hard to breathe, like a weight was pressing down on his lungs. But at least the pain in his midsection was finally gone. That, at least, he could be thankful for.

"Gajeel? Gajeel, stay with me!"

"I ain't… going anywhere…" he muttered, squinting his eyes as her form started to blur over him, "I just… gotta… rest…"

"No… Gajeel, stay awake! Gajeel, don't go to sleep!"

"Just… a few… min… utes…" when was the last time he'd slept? He couldn't remember. He'd never needed sleep before, really. He never felt tired.

But now, he was so exhausted. Surely, just an hour or so wouldn't hurt.

"Gajeel?"

"Gajeel!"


	16. Evil Chose Its Own Hour

_"She said also that while the rain fell by the will of God evil chose its own hour and that those whom it sought out were perhaps not entirely lacking of some certain darkness in themselves. She said that the heart betrayed itself and the wicked often had eyes to see that which was hidden from the good." ― __Cormac McCarthy__, __The Crossing_

Jose paced back and forth uneasily by the small perish cemetery he'd come to recognize after several nights of visiting its decrepit tombstones. Abandoned by its caretaker long ago and left to the wilderness, many of the headstones were bleached white by the unforgiving sun and crumbling from years of offensive rain. In some places the ground had collapsed, allowing one a glimpse into the matted darkness at dried bones and rotted flesh. Forgotten to the world, this place was, only until recently.

Jose tugged down the brim of his hat nervously as the mist started to cascade from deep in the forest and surround him. Shortly after he heard the creaking of old wheels on what was left of a seldom-trod path. He turned to face the approaching wraith with glistening red orbs in his skull where eyes should be. Jose forced a grin onto his features, regarding the wraith with hands held open in friendship.

"Hello, my friend. Did we have a productive night?" Jose smiled, his voice coming out like smooth butter as the cart driver pulled up next to him, his spectral horses rearing angrily as he stopped.

"Aye," his voice was like the chill, seeping into the skin to stick to the bones like tar. It was enough to put ice to even Jose's soul and he found his smile faltering despite his efforts.

"When, my sir, do you believe your plunder will be over?" Jose kept face despite the sour taste the words had coming out of his mouth. He didn't care for human lives, barely cared for the souls of other reapers. What he wanted was power. Enough to dethrone the Judges and rule the world in a way that he saw fit: with no mercy for humans who were blind and weak compared to the world that lay just out of their reach. They were like newborn puppies, blind and completely dependent on the forces of nature.

And so terribly expendable.

This wraith that he had stumbled upon by heresy and chance, offered to him the power that he sought. And the price? Something as completely meaningless as a name. An identity. Unfortunately, this creature had no knowledge of Jose's backslidden ways. Surely, reason would tell this beast of a soul that once he relinquished his power to Jose, he wouldn't be allowed to survive? Such a threat to his rule would be foolish for him to let loose.

And so he smiled, a look akin to a cat enticing a mouse to be comrades.

"Never,"

Jose froze, his grin wavering for an instant, "Excuse me?"

"It has occurred to me, My Lord, that although it was Zeref himself who stripped me of my name and pride, revenge would never be as sweet unless taken by my own hands," the gleam in the specter's eyes intensified as Jose began to scowl.

"My friend, I believe we had a deal,"

His laugh was haughty and it stung Jose in his lungs with the harshness of it. Outrage began to make his blood boil.

"Lord Jose," derided the shade as a low moaning began to fill the air around them, "I don't believe you're in the place to make deals any longer,"

Suddenly, spirits pulled up from the ground around Jose, moaning and screaming as they crawled from the earth and writhed out of cart. Faces, young and old, mangled and full of pain, leered at him as they clutched for him, pulling his cape, boots, wrists. Anything they could get their hands on they clamped a hold of, dragging him down to his knees as he tried to struggle away. For the first time in his afterlife, Jose felt genuine fear turn his veins into ice. The wraith flowed towards him, his cloak floating just off the ground as he approached with the silence of falling snow.

"For setting me free, Reaper," his voice rasped as he stood before the fallen Messenger, a smile pulling at his decrepit features as he looked down on the scorned man, "I shall allow you your soul. But should you get in the way of my revenge, I shall devour you just like the human souls you so detest,"

Jose squirmed under the souls' grasps as the wraith ascended his carriage with the air of a king. As he made his perch, the souls around Jose screeched as they were pulled by some invisible force into his cart, arms lashing about around them as they tried to stay away from the bottomless pit. A prison, Jose thought bitterly, for both master and slave to be equal.

His horses screamed and reared, plummeting into the mist and vanishing with a sound of rushing wind.

"What did you hope to accomplish, Master Jose, by releasing a spirit so evil not even Zeref would allow him into the netherworld?"

Jose's head snapped towards the direction of the voice, his black locks hitting the sides of his face as he did so. Anger made his chest tight as his purple eyes lashed into the darkness for the source. In his haste he almost completely missed the small, aged figure sitting in a dying tree.

"What would you know of the affairs of Death, imp?" Jose snarled as Makarov leapt from the branches, landing with far more poise than his age would betray he had.

"I know more than you, Reaper," Makarov sneered in return, his figure shaking with rage, "I know you'd have your own servant killed without batting an eyelid, along with hundreds of innocent lives,"

"Humans are expendable," Jose snapped, purple energy snapping about his clenched fists, "and what's the cost of the life of one soldier when I could have legions?!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE LEGIONS!" Makarov's voice shook the forest around them, "AND YOU NEVER WILL!"

White light exploded around Makarov and Jose closed his eyes against it. The ground trembled slightly and he felt heat make his skin prickled as he shielded himself from the blinding white. When it finally faded, Jose gasped and staggered backwards at the sight before him. Makarov towered above him, his eyes glowing with white light in his rage and he.

Recognitions suddenly filled Jose's eyes as he regarded the giant shrouded in white.

"M-Master Makarov…" he stammered, throwing his hands up to protect himself, "Please…"

"By the power bestowed upon me by Judge Mavis…" his voice echoed around him, filling everything Jose could see and hear with his voice and blinding light.

"No! Makarov! Please! Wait!"

"I hereby strip you of your title as Messenger and send you to your afterlife to be judged by your actions," he brought his hands forward, a bright sphere forming in his large palms, "May Mavis and Zeref see you according to your crimes against this world,"

"No! Please! NO!"

The light fell upon him, searing his skin and rendering him into no more than a frail soul before he felt himself being torn apart.

Makarov turned his head away from Jose's resounding scream as his righteous light collapsed in on itself, tearing Jose from the world into the netherworld where Mavis and Zeref were waiting. When the power finally faded, all that was left was bleached ground and faint scorch marks where the former Messenger had once stood. Makarov let out a tired sigh as his form shrank back down to its normal size and he stroked his mustache warily.

"It seems that I must come out of retirement," he said after a length as he pulled out his pipe, lighting the bitter tobacco inside, and slowly making his way away from the cursed cemetery.


	17. Dying of the Light

_"Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,_

_and learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,_

_do not go gentle into that good night…_

_rage, rage against the dying of the light."_

_― __Dylan Thomas_

Gajeel lurched forward, gasping for breath in the same way one would if just awakening from a nightmare. His whole body shook with tremors as he held himself up, muscles protesting movement from the weakness in them. He felt like he was made out of jelly, wobbly and unable to stop his hands from shaking. He took a few breaths to steady his pounding heart, letting his fist rest over the pulsing in his chest while he tried to calm the panic in his veins.

The last thing he could remember was feeling like he was falling. After he'd closed his eyes from Levy's worried brown orbs, his body had plummeted. He felt himself spinning as if he'd just fallen asleep on a merry-go-round, whirling faster and faster and losing control. He was going to hit the ground and shatter into a million pieces like glass. They'd find him in shards all over the ground like a mirror that had fallen out of a tall building, spiraling out of control until it hit the ground and glass ricocheted of the land until it turned into infinitesimal pieces of dust, beyond repair and unable to be found every tiny fragment.

He squeezed his eyes against the memory, bile rising in his stomach to greet the feeling. He took steadying breaths, his hand balling up in his black locks. He kept reassuring himself that it was over despite the lingering sickness that made his stomach quiver. But little by little, his body started to relax and the shaking eased until he was once again able to open his eyes.

He cast his eyes around, knowing immediately where he was. It was the library in Lucy's mansion, except that Lucy and Levy were nowhere to be found. The lights were out and the only way he could see was by the soft glow of overcast skies coming from the bay windows. He noticed dust rising into the air and reflecting in the silky light that was allowed through the chipped glass and he realized that this place he was in had been deserted. All the shelves were decrepit and one had collapsed in on itself, scattering its contents all over the ground in a flurry of yellowed pages and marred leather covers.

He scrunched his brows as he looked around, feeling fear begin to make his chest tight. Where was everyone? Why was the library like this? For Mavis's sakes, how long had he been out?!

"Confused?"

Gajeel froze as the voice reached his ears; ubiquitous and pouring over the space like oil. He cast his eyes around the room again, trying to find the source only to freeze in place at a figure standing in the doorway. He wasn't striking in appearance, was average in build with slick black hair that rested against pale cheeks. But as he walked forward, Gajeel felt small in the same room with him. This was not an ordinary man and he found himself instinctively recoiling from the dark presence that pervaded the room with his approach.

"It's funny, when we first encountered each other I couldn't force you into silence," a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth, "And now you can't find words,"

His eyes flashed red for just a moment, making Gajeel's throat close and his heart jump back up to its previous pace.

"Lord Zeref," he whispered, diverting his eyes from the Judge, unwilling to meet his dark gaze. He heard him chuckled dryly from across the room, "What are you doing here?"

"It doesn't happen often," he began, letting out an almost bored sigh as he talked and Gajeel felt his heart dropping to the floor as he spoke, "that a Reaper's soul has to be collected. And who is there to collect the soul of a Reaper when he dies? The Lord of Death himself, it seems,"

"I…" he couldn't finish, deep remorse making his voice cut out as he once again closed his eyes. No, this couldn't be it. He couldn't have…

"Now we are faced with a problem, Redfox," Zeref's voice took an edge to it that made Gajeel whip his head around to meet his black eyes.

"What is that, sir?" he said slowly, his stomach rolling nervously.

"Do you know why we have Reapers, Gajeel?" Zeref approached, stopping just a few feet from where Gajeel sat on a table. He crossed his arms and gave Gajeel an almost contempt look.

"To collect the dead?"

He crooked a smile at that though it quickly vanished, "Yes, but also, because there are people in this world that don't live their lives in a manner that would be considered… righteous. Murderers, usually, sometimes rapists or thieves. Bad men and women who don't pass Mavis's judgment and are then sent to me to do with as I see the best fit. Most I send to Void, a dark place where your own atrocities are acted upon you forever. To others, I give an opportunity for redemption."

The words sank into Gajeel's mind like lead in water.

"Do you have any recollection of your former life, Gajeel Redfox?"

"No, sir," he brought his ruby eyes up reluctantly to meet Zeref's, noticing a malicious glint in his eyes.

Suddenly, everything around him was gone. He was falling briefly before hitting the ground hard. The breath was taken out of his lungs and he struggled to get up, weakness still weighing down his limbs as he moved. The sounds of screams and clashing metal suddenly filled the air and he pulled himself up to gaze over a blood-soaked plain. A field once golden with wheat was stained red with smoke glazing over the horizon line to invade his nostrils and cause him to choke.

Men were clashing, the sounds of metal clanging against each other and flesh being ripped echoing around him. There were men shouting orders, telling people in the village to flee. Women and elders were carrying children away, being intercepted by enemy forces and rounded up like cattle.

"Ever wonder where your lack of concern for the human race came from? Or maybe even your nickname, Kurogane?" Zeref materialize beside him in a flourish of black smoke. He walked towards the battle, motioning for Gajeel to follow.

Gajeel felt like electricity was going through his veins. He recognized what was happening, each glint of a sword or scream of pain struck a chord in his being. As they continued through the battlefield no one paid them mind, not they should have since this was a memory. He spotted a figure in the distance, long black hair falling in his face as a malicious smile pulled at his lips. He didn't wear leather armor like the others, preferring to fight without it.

_An intimidation tactic, _Gajeel realized as he watched the scarred figure hack away at the opposing man masterfully. He could have been dancing with how fluid his motions were, so used to battle it was more normal than the simple lives his victims used to have. With a clean slice, his sword cut through the man's flesh and he fell to the ground, blood pooling around him as his dying cry cut through the air.

"A mercenary," Gajeel stated, causing Zeref to shoot him a surprised glance.

"Aye," he sounded smug as Gajeel's reflection cleaned the blood off his sword with a piece of a dead man's shirt, "And a ruthless one at that, who loved to spill blood almost as much as he loved his drink and his women,"

Gajeel scoffed, turning his head away from his likeness as he cut through more men.

"There was a time when you relished your brutalities," Zeref smiled over at Gajeel, his eyes flashing red as the vision faded, "You even boasted about them when you were a human. My, how you've changed in just the few decades you've been a Reaper. I wonder why?"

"I've not a clue," Gajeel growled, biting his tongue as he spoke. A lie. Although some of it had to do with his mostly quiet life as a Reaper, he knew a certain angel who had changed him greatly.

Zeref regarded him silently for a moment, "Now, what to do with you,"

"What do you mean?"

"You've not served your time, Reaper. Do you honestly think I'd allow you to your afterlife if you haven't atoned for your sins?" he smirked at Gajeel, a look that made him grind his teeth.

"Why should I give a shit what you do?" Gajeel snapped, causing Zeref to frown, "My integrity doesn't mean anything anymore,"

"True," Zeref mused, looking at Gajeel with disinterest before turning away from him to head for the library doors.

"Wait," Gajeel called, causing the dark Judge to stop and incline his head back slightly towards him.

"What is it, Reaper? I'm beginning to lose my patience,"

"What about my district? What about Juvia?" _What about Levy?_

"I don't know what you mean," the words were guarded, a hidden malice seeping into his countenance.

"There's another Reaper causing mayhem, killing hundreds of humans and collecting their souls. He _eats_ them!" he didn't know why but suddenly he couldn't shut up. Maybe it all just sank in, the fact that he was actually dead and what that meant for the people that he'd left behind, "Who's gonna stop that thing?"

"He's not a Reaper," the words were flat, hanging in the air like a bad smell.

"What?" Gajeel realized his response sounded demanding, but he was slowly beginning to care less and less, "What is it then?"

Zeref's head rolled back lazily to gaze on him, a malicious smile playing on his features, "My greatest catastrophe, the thing to tip the scales of life and death for the end of the world. A soul so evil in his life as a human that I bound him to his grave to await the end of the world,"

"The… end of the world?"

"The Ankou," Zeref's grin widened as he spoke, showing fangs that were just a tad too long to be human, "My death weapon. The more he consumes the more powerful he becomes until he devours the world," suddenly his smile faded into a look of derision and his eyes flashed angrily, "But its not yet time for him to be awake,"

"Wait, what do you mean it's not yet time?" Gajeel reeled back, his heart picking up a frantic pace.

"It seems your master, Jose, released him in order to gain power and dethrone Mavis and I," he grinned slightly at that, "but he's been replaced."

"However," his grin disappeared once again, "that still leaves the problem at hand," he clicked his teeth in disdain, "But you needn't worry about that anymore,"

"Like hell I'm not!" Gajeel growled, startling himself with the force in his tone, "What happens if that thing gets…" he stopped himself, not wanting to voice his fears. But Zeref's eyes dulled and understanding filled them as he gazed on the Reaper. Gajeel huffed, not meeting his gaze.

"You have feelings for someone, Kurogane?" his voice was distant, almost like he was peering into Gajeel's soul to see all the secrets hiding there, "Do you think yourself so much better than the mortals you escorted that you deserve a second chance when they didn't?"

"I…" Gajeel bit back his own temper. He was talking to the Lord of Death himself. He wouldn't give a human the chance a freedom, why should he think he'd allow him? But Levy, she couldn't fight a force like what had been unleashed. What if he devoured her light? He was sure the Sun itself might dim if that happened. Just the thought made his heart lurch to the point that he balled his fist up against his chest, staring down at it as if all the answers were concealed between his fingers.

"Death would suit you better, Redfox," Zeref's voice drew Gajeel's attention with its almost sorrowful tone and he stared questioningly at the Judge, "You're a creature of my making, a creature of the dark like myself, believe me when I say nothing good comes from having a love of the light,"

Suddenly, pain lanced through Gajeel's midsection and he gasped and fell to his knees. His heart started beating a mile and minute and he clutched his sides so hard he felt his knuckled might split.

"It seems I don't have a say in the matter," Zeref's voice droned lazily and he approached Gajeel, kneeling down to meet his eyes, "But I suppose sending you back without_ any_ memory of your past wouldn't be any fun, since you'd just end up right back," red consumed his irises then as he stared down at Gajeel who felt like his bowels were about to spill out of his stomach to the floor. What in the hell was going on now?

"Remember these words, Reaper," his voice was Gajeel's only lifeline, keeping him from passing out from the severity of the pain, "There are worse things than eternity in purgatory, but then, you'll find out soon enough,"

Letting out one last gasp, Gajeel collapsed on the ground, darkness once again taking him away.


	18. The World is Rolling Right Off a Cliff

_"He's kissing me like the world is rolling right off a cliff, like he's trying to hang on and he's decided to hold on to me, like he's starving for life and love and he's never known it could ever feel this good to be close to someone. Like it's the first time he's ever felt anything but hunger and he doesn't know how to pace himself, doesn't know how to eat in small bites, doesn't know how to do anything anything anything in moderation."_

_― __Tahereh Mafi__, __Unravel Me_

For the second time, Gajeel jolted forward as if he'd just awoken from a nightmare, except this time he didn't take in gasps of breath and beg for a steady heartbeat. He leaned over, fingers clutching the side of the table he'd been placed on, and heaved so hard he thought his stomach might explode. His lungs protested the movement as they both tried to take in air and expel the blood that had made its home inside them. He felt miserable as the tainted metallic smell invaded his nose and stung his tongue with the taste of iron. Then, a gentle hand on his back made it all disappear. His lungs were suddenly free, his breathing restored to labored huffs. The burning pain in his midsection eased instantly, no longer did he feel like his insides were about to spill all over the floor.

"Deep breaths," the voice was warm and gentle but held command and the touch he felt was so eerily familiar to Levy's but almost scalded him with its intense heat, "You're fine… just deep breaths,"

"Yeah…" he gurgled, swallowing down the bitter taste that had made its home in his throat, "trying… that…"

She giggled, a sound that rang like bells and he felt something gentle brush his shoulder, sending the warm cascading through him and alleviating all of his ailments. He struggled in his first pure breath, the feeling of sweet relief filling him.

"Thanks," he grunted, turning to face the person that had just pulled him back to the living, and stiffening in his place upon meeting her pale blue eyes, "I mean… Judge Mavis…"

She giggled again, her eyes closing in her mirth while the flipped her long blonde tresses. Her dress was long and white and ghosted by her ankles gently, her feet never grazing the ground. She tilted her head to the side as she looked at him, never allowing his gaze to escape from hers. But still she smiled radiantly, a sight that let out a sense of comfort that matched Levy's.

"I've heard a lot about you recently, Gajeel," she smiled sweetly, her eyes touched with curiosity, "You not as dark as the rumors say, though,"

"Um… thank you?" he gritted his teeth. This was almost too much. First the Lord of Death himself was about to call him to his destiny, and now the Goddess of Life was looking him up and down with a childlike curiosity.

"Your welcome," she smiled, "But you could do to be a little less reckless,"

"I… um…" he drew his eyebrows together as he looked at her, "I'll try,"

"Good," she looked at him steadily, her smile not fading, and he noticed a faint like emanating around her, "I need you to deliver a message for me,"

"A-aye?"

"Tell Levy that she needs more confidence in herself," her eyes were alight with something Gajeel couldn't pinpoint, "She can do so much more than what she gives herself credit for. Her only limitations are the ones she imposes on herself. After all, she has the light of the Goddess, just like you have the power of Zeref,"

"I…"

"Hurry out to her, now. She'll be happy to see you,"

Her figure suddenly collapsed into itself, letting out a blinding amount of light as it did so. With a sound like wind rushing through the room, she vanished.

Gajeel sat staring at where she had been, not finding it in him quite yet to move. Everything that had just happened seemed like a strange and somewhat unfortunate dream. He looked blearily around himself, gawking at the insane amount of blood everywhere. _His_ blood, he realized, and looked down to his hastily patched up stomach that had just been sliced open not a day earlier. His bandages were soaked through with blood and he began removing them clumsily, ripping the fabric away to reveal smooth flesh beneath, not even a scar where the mortal wound had been.

He didn't know how long he stared at his own tanned skin; so incredibly smooth and untouched he almost couldn't believe it. He'd just bled out on this table, but the evidence was vaporizing into the air little by little as if to solidify the fact that what had happened was no more. His shirt was still in tatters and his cape blood-soaked. He numbly took of the cape and ripped off the remains of his shirt, letting them both fall to the ground in a heap on the floor. He eye were drawn to his hands, their proper color restored to them even though he remembered them being paler than Levy's…

_Levy._

_"She'll be happy to see you,"_

His red eyes widened as his mind started working.

He'd died, literally. Mavis brought him back for some bizarre reason, but would she allow him that concession yet again? No, he didn't have it in him to take that thought for granted. Even while he was still trying to process the events that had just transpired, he found himself rising off the table and walking with purpose to the door. He didn't notice his staff leaning against the wall as he passed, refused to stop his procession to where he knew the little angel was.

When he entered the library, Juvia, Lucy, Natsu, and Grey, all stared at him in wonder. Speechless at his appearance through the doorway, they didn't say a word as he glided past, his heavy boots thudding against the hardwood floors. He saw his destination, huddled in the corner with her blue locks flowing over her shoulders while they bounced quietly.

He didn't have any idea for theatrics, had no intentions of grabbing her attention with some senseless quip. Rather unceremoniously, he grabbed her by her shoulders and lifted her off the ground and held her against the wall. Her feet dangled, sliding against his calves while her brown eyes filled first with veiled surprise, then recognition, and suddenly tears were spilling over her cheeks much harsher than before.

"Gaj-"

He pressed his lips hard against hers, but still much gentler than he'd have originally wanted. It was a desperate kiss, one that had his knuckles white as she gripped her so harshly. And despite what she might have protested, he slid his tongue against hers so that she let out a gasp and he could steal her sweet breath into his own lungs. In that moment, she was beautiful and gentle and everything in his world that had ever existed and ever would. He took care to memorize the feel of her lips as he greedily tasted them, the way her hair brushed softly against the side of his face, and how he could feel her body melting against his.

And then he drew back, leaving her with large, shocked eyes while they caught their breath.

"I didn't get to do that before," he huffed, his heart suddenly beating much harder than before. He could feel his skin melting wherever she touched him, noticed where her lips were now slightly bruised from his demanding kisses. He was sure she could feel him shaking as he placed her softly back onto the floor, her eyes refusing to leave his in all their melted glory.

Despite everything, that delectable blush made its way to her cheeks.

"I… I thought…" she stammered, a strange hopeful look in her eyes while she grasped onto his hands, her demeanor giving away a fear he couldn't hope to fathom, "I thought you were…"

"Dead?" he crooked a smile at her, his fangs gleaming in the dank light before dawn, "Someone decided I wasn't supposed to go yet. Hell if I know why, but Mavis brought me back,"

She smiled then, tears still streaming down her cheeks but without the sour note they held before, "Well, I'm glad she did,"

"Aye, same here," he smiled, bringing her into a tight hug flush against his bare chest.

And right then, it didn't matter that there were other people in the room. It didn't matter that Lucy was shushing Natsu's mischievous snickers and Juvia was edging closer to Grey. It didn't matter that there was some strange end-of-the-world beast making its way to the mansion to deliver their fate in some twisted way. In the moment that he had her in his arms and she was burying her face into his chest, everything was completely perfect.

And for that brief moment, he entertained the thought of holding her forever. Maybe he could sweep her off her feet like the sappy romance novels she read and take her away to some far off land where death and life didn't matter, where evil and dark deeds couldn't mar her beautiful eyes or steal the delicate blush from her cheeks. Maybe they could pretend to be normal, a creature of life in love with a creature of death, but abandoning their stigmas and anything that it might had implied to just be in love and innocent.

But he wasn't innocent.

And this wasn't a romance novel.

And Zeref's words still echoed sadly in the back of his mind:

_"__You're a creature of my making, a creature of the dark like myself, believe me when I say nothing good comes from having a love of the light,"_

* * *

**AN: Gajeel's baaaack! And hey look, a wild kiss-scene appears! (Like you couldn't tell from the quote... Maybe I should have written 'spoiler alert' before it? Naaaah... ya'll don't read them there quotes anyway... right?**

**Ok, just so everyone's on the same page here Ima do a quick/not-really-quick recap:**

**Gajeel died. Dead as a doornail. Levy, with her lack of confidence in her abilities, couldn't save his life. (- as insinuated by Mavis) And so, he was met by Zeref who had to collect his soul in the absence of a soul collector's soul collector. In his past he was a man for hire, a mercenary, and therefore his crimes against humanity deemed him unfit for paradise. However, having served part of his time as a reaper and his memories being wiped, can he still really be held accountable for his actions? Well, while trying to figure this out Zeref says "It seems I don't have a choice in the matter." meaning it wasn't his idea to send Gajeel back, but someone else's. Thus Mavis hops in and saves our wonderful, if someone shady, protagonist. **

**Also, to address the issue of Makarov:**

**He used to be a powerful Messenger like Jose, but after his retirement chose to watch over the earth as a god-like entity similar to Zeref and Mavis. Thus, Leprechaun Makarov was born! Makarov turned into a "creature of light" after his retirement, giving him abilities of light similar to Mavis and Levy. So, now that he's taken over in leu of Jose's incompetences, he'll have both the powers of a messenger and the power of a "creature of light". So, whoo for Makarov, he's just badass all over the place. **

**Also, if you haven't caught onto this already, Mavis is the Goddess of Light and Zeref is the Lord of Death. This is more of a Zeus/Hades scenario instead of a God/Satan scenario. Also, Zeref has a love of the light. I wonder what that could mean...? kukuku :3**

**Aaaaand I believe that's all I wanted to address in this little shindig. I noticed a few things in the reviews and was like, maybe I'm not explaining myself well. So, if there are any questions, I shall try to answer to the best of my abilities without spoiling anything. Just let me know!**

**Also, I do quite adore reviews. Constructive criticism is a plus! I like to know what you guys think! **

**While I'm at it, wondering if for the gore from the Black Death if I should change my rating to M? There's been lots of talk of blood and bowels spilling across floors in these past chapters, so I'm just wondering if I should adjust for that? Let me know what you think! I'd appreciate it!**

**Thank you for your time and have an amazing day! **


	19. A Mark on the Soul

**AN: Hey guys! Ya miss me? **

**Ok, so I am really, sincerely sorry for the ginormous time-gap between postings. I haven't forgotten about you and I am still working on the story. Life kinda all hit at once. My ****fiancé lost his job and my second job just started. (I was literally coming home and falling asleep, you have no idea.) Needless to say my body didn't adjust well to the change in stress and the adage of chasing 30 children around for 4 hours every day (my second job is an aftercare for elementary school. haha, and I said I hated kids...). But I am trying to get back into the swing of posting again. Sometimes it just takes a little writing to get back into things, and that's what I'm trying to do. So I'm sorry if the chapter seems choppy or doesn't make sense anywhere. Questions and comments are always welcome! I really enjoy hearing feedback from you guys! **

**And you have my word to try my hardest not to allow TWO WHOLE WEEKS (gaaaahh...) to pass by before posting again. Once again, terribly sorry for that! **

**Please enjoy and review review review! I would love to know if you like it or if I should change some things up! :)**

* * *

_"You've been kissed by the shadows. You've crossed into Death, into the other side, and returned. Do you think something like that doesn't leave a mark on the soul? …You should have stayed dead… That's why you're so reckless in the things you do. You don't hold back your feelings, your passion, your anger. It makes you remarkable. It makes you dangerous." ― Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy_

Gajeel felt exhausted, standing in the corner and dodging the barrage of questions that seemed be a ceaseless flow from the rest of their ragtag group ever since he'd disentangled himself from Levy. He didn't know why he was taking up such a defensive stance beside Levy now, arm strong and harsh around her tiny waist. It wasn't that he suddenly didn't trust his friends, but he could feel something inside of him twisting whenever they got near, something unfamiliar and strikingly animalistic.

"I just don't understand… _how_ can you possibly be ok?" Lucy stared at him, large brown eyes even larger than usual in their disbelief, "I mean… we saw you…"

He could feel Levy flinch at the memory, a reaction that he wouldn't have noticed before but now seemed painfully obvious.

"I told ya before, Mavis brought me back," his words seemed harsher than he was used to, "I ain't gotta clue as ta why, just that she did. She healed my wounds and told me not ta be reckless."

They all stared at him for a moment, their gazes almost more than he could take. He didn't like to be the center of attention before, but now he wanted to be as far from all of those searching, innocent eyes as possible. He could see all their emotions on their faces as clear as day: fear, wonder, relief, confusion. And he was in the middle of it all, drowning in the questions that they had. All the while he was realizing new things about himself he'd never known before.

Little by little, memories were beginning to surface, all of them blurry and from times and places he couldn't quite comprehend. Despite it all, he kept his arm hooked protectively around Levy, his anchor in the sea that he couldn't find the bottom of. But even the warmth of her light couldn't stave off the bloody memories that were slowly beginning to surface…

"Good day, youngsters," Makarov's voice made him jump, his muscles snapping him into a battle-ready stance he'd not utilized in decades. Makarov stroked his mustache thoughtfully as he regarded Gajeel, his eyes hardening even though his smile never wavered, "I see there have been some new developments since our last meeting,"

"Makarov!" Levy's eyes brightened at seeing the small man and she rushed up to him where he perched on one of the bookshelves. He pulled out his pipe and lit it, smiling grandly at her approach, though his eyes flashed to Gajeel warily.

"What's wrong, my dear?" he said calmly, while looking down on her.

Gajeel couldn't help but notice something different about the leprechaun. His look had changed and he was suddenly very aware of the power that seemed to boil under his skin. He suddenly recalled Zeref's words, mentioning Jose's betrayal and replacement. He quickly put two and two together.

"Master Makarov," Gajeel broke into their conversation, not much caring for the silence that had suddenly fallen as he spoke, "What do you know about the Ankou?"

His smile faded and he brought a hand up to stroke his mustache nervously, "I know he was a man whose soul was so consumed by the dark that after he died Zeref found no place for him in the Void and so he laid him to rest in a forgotten parish cemetery to wait for the End of Days. I've also heard that you've had a rather close call with him yourself,"

"Aye," Gajeel drawled, walking up to the small man, "I suppose you're not here for fun then, eh?"

"No, I'm not," he straightened and looked down at their group, "I'm here to tell you that the force you're going to face is incredible and deadly, but not imperishable. It will take all of you to defeat this enemy,"

"All of us?" Lucy stepped back, her brow furrowing.

"Yes," he smiled down at her, "You don't know it, but your ability to make contact with the world of the dead is exceptional and allows you talents other mortals lack. You will need these in order to help fight against the Ankou and this souls that he's collected over the few days that he's been set loose on the world."

"Cool!" Natsu grinned, his teeth flashing in the dank light of the early morning, "Can we fly?"

"No," Makarov chuckled.

"How would flying help us fight ghosts, lame brain?" Grey scoffed, slapping Natsu upside the head.

"I don't see you comin' up with anything, princess," Natsu huffed back, getting in his face.

Gajeel gritted his teeth, his tolerance level for all of this wearing extremely thin. He felt like a caged animal, biting at the bit to release the growing anxious energy that was surmounting inside of him. He could feel it rushing through his veins, a raging of pent up ire that desperately wanted to be released, preferably with the swinging of a blade.

"Gajeel," Makarov's voice was steady as he spoke, "Do you mind walking with me for a moment, lad?"

Gajeel followed wordlessly, the heavy thudding of his own boots drowning out the bickering and worried looks being shot their way. It wasn't until they were outside of the mansion and walking towards the dusky road towards town before Makarov finally spoke.

"How are you feeling?"

"Strange, to be honest," he huffed, reaching for something at his waist that should have been there wasn't. A nervous habit maybe? With all the memories from his past life surfacing, he could hardly tell anymore.

"I'm sure you were met with more than Mavis's face during your fleeting trip to the other side," he mused, puffing large smoke rings into the air.

"Aye, Zeref spoke to me as well."

"What did he say? Do you remember?" Makarov stopped then and gazed up at Gajeel's crimson eyes.

"He said he would allow me some of my memories to return so I wouldn't kill myself again,"

"I see… and how's that coming?"

Gajeel let out a huff and ran his fingers through his hair, "I feel… different."

"As I would imagine you would,"

"I feel like an animal. I see and hear things I didn't before; notice differences in the way people move and speak that I couldn't. I feel like I could kill something," he clenched his fists and released them, staring down at them as if for the first time, "And I can remember battles where I was some heartless killer. I'm not sure if I could do that again,"

"No one's asking you to,"

He looked down at Makarov then, burning red eyes meeting small black ones. In his aged face, all he could see was compassion and understanding, unlike the worried glances from his friends in the mansion.

"Gajeel, out of everyone here who can defeat the enemy at hand, you are probably the best fit. We're not asking you to be the man you once were, he's long dead as far as I can see. But what we are asking is that you have the courage to face the monster that threatens the mortals you watch over and the people you've come to call comrades,"

Gajeel was silent for a while, staring out towards the forest before finally pulling words to his teeth, "You think I could defeat him?"

"I think you could do far more than that, lad,"

Their trek back to the mansion was in a comfortable silence. When they returned to the questioning faces in the library, he quickly took solace in two exceptionally large, brown eyes. As he did, he suddenly realized they were more familiar to him than when he'd last seen them. Actually, he'd seen them far before he'd come to the mansion to escort Jude Heartfilia.

Somewhere in a time past, he'd met those same brown eyes in a tiny parish far away from this place. Maybe in an act of weakness or strength, when he'd met those beautiful and innocent eyes he'd led away some of his men from where she'd been hiding from their assault. And the day he'd passed by her instead of exposing her like so many others who'd tried to hide from him before, he'd secretly hoped he'd see those bright eyes and blue locks again.

During a time when maybe he wasn't a mercenary.

And maybe she wasn't a helpless victim.

When he walked back up to her and looped his arm protectively around her waist, he gazed down at her perfect figure. Secretly, he prayed he wasn't the cause of her demise.


	20. Delicate Web

"Everything is connected, like a delicate web. Ever growing, ever changing. New silvery strands come together every day, and once the strand is formed, no matter what superficial circumstances may sometimes keep you apart, it is never broken. You will meet again, perhaps in another lifetime. The connection is unbreakable, lying dormant in your subconscious." ― Chelsie Shakespeare, _The Pull_

_Warmth that filled the marrow in his bones coaxed him from his unnatural slumber. He could feel his drowsiness pulling him down like weights strapped to his boots after he'd been thrown overboard. But he was a warrior from birth and fought everything with a fire in his heart, and so he pushed past the dark barrier with everything he could. Pain greeted him as he started to regain his consciousness and it threatened to make him topple back into the soothing hold of night. _

_"Shh…" the voice was like silver moonlight, gentle and feminine, and putting a silent calm over him, "You're safe now," _

_He fought against the heaviness of his eyelids and forced himself back into the real world. Visions flashed briefly before his eyes of a battle and a blade that sliced through flesh far too well. It didn't take much to realize why there was an unbearable pain in his abdomen. _

_His hands balled into tight fists as he fought against the burning of his insides. His vision was blurry and unfocused. Slowly, he turned his head to gaze into the warm fire that burned beside him. It took time for him to gain his bearings in the strange place. The building was small and poorly fashioned, nothing like the grand estates he'd come to know from his various excursions across the harsh land but far more comfortable than the cold earth that he'd used to call an easy resting place. It was then he noticed his cloak hanging upon a small, rickety chair in the corner along with his belt that held his hefty broadswords. Upon seeing them so far away, an uneasy feeling began to curl in the pit of his stomach. _

_"Have you joined the living?" the voice pulled him from his thoughts and soothed him, calling his attention to the opposite direction. It took him far too much effort to turn his head in her direction but worth it when he gazed upon her beauty. _

_"Possibly not," he muttered, pain seeping into his voice despite his mask of calm. She was beautiful. All pale skin and striking blue locks. Her dress wasn't fine or expensive, but complimented her porcelain figure. Her apron was smudged red with blood and she was gently dipping her hands in a small washing bin. She turned to gaze down at him, brown eyes consuming him where he lay even as they were consumed with shadow. _

_"Well, I would surely enjoy the company should you choose to stay," her voice was meek and a gentle smile pulled at the edges of her lips. Suddenly, he recognized her face and his heart faltered a beat. _

_"I shouldn't think you'd want my companionship, miss," he turned his eyes from hers and instead glared at the ceiling of her small thatched cabin, "I'm not a man for fine company," _

_"You believe me to be fine?" she giggled despite her severe look._

_Maybe it was the blood loss or maybe it was just _her_, but he opened his mouth before he could think of the consequences, "Aye…" _

_He felt her come to his side, her hand warm as she trailed them against his arm. Her touch made his muscles uncoil and he breathed out slowly, afraid of scaring the maiden away. A weighted silence fell between them as she thought of the words he'd known would soon come. _

_"I tried to find a surgeon," she whispered quietly, her voice tinged with sadness as she continued, "But none would come… I used herbs for the pain as best I could. I was afraid you wouldn't wake before…" she stopped, withdrawing her touch from him as she did, "I'm… I'm sorry…" _

_Despite the pain of the movement, he reached up and gripped onto her slim wrist, making her start, "Don't be," he met her large brown eyes, "I count myself lucky." _

_"Lucky?" she huffed, returning her hand to his shoulder, "I don't see quite how," _

_"Maybe these are just the words of a dying man," he drawled, a cold grin pulling his lips up at the corners, "But I'm not quite sure there's anywhere else I'd rather be," _

_"Just the words of a dying man, I'm sure," she feigned an indignant snuff at his words but he found her fingers wandering up to his scalp to soothe his wild raven locks, once pulled back in a militaristic braid but now disheveled around his shoulders, "Do you regret…?"_

_"Nothing," his voice was so weak in his ears and he hated how it tasted. But his limbs were slowly going cold and he was finding it harder to breathe. His hour was nigh he was sure. If there was a time being weak might be permissible, the deathbed may be a possibility, "I just hope whatever awaits me on the other side feels the same way,"_

_"Do you not believe in a life after death?" her voice was so soft and warm._

_"Who knows? I've been so close to death all my life the novelty of it all seems to have slipped past me,"_

_She laughed with a taste of bitterness biting the end, "An easy thing I'm sure." _

_"You're the one who decided to rescue a legionnaire," he felt tired and the pain he'd felt earlier had greatly receded. He didn't have it in him to hope it was just the herbs kicking in. _

_"I didn't mean…" she started but never finished. She noticed the grimace that had set on his face as he glared down at the tips of the fingers, "Is something wrong?"_

_He let out a deep breath and flicked his eyes up to her, unwilling to tell her that he'd lost the feeling in his arms, "Fine," _

_They stayed in silence for a while as his eyes slowly began to drift shut once more. This time she feared they might not open again. _

_"Do you sing?" _

_Her grip tightened in his locks just slightly at his voice but her voice held a smile in it, "What kind of a question is that?"_

_"Just a question…" his breath shuddered. _

_"I'm sorry, I don't," she blushed, tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. _

_"Tis a shame, that," his voice was no more than a whisper. _

_"Do you have a name, good sir?" her voice was incredibly small and her hands were shaking as she stroked his locks, "So at least I may remember you?" _

_She'd never watched someone die before. _

_"Gajeel… Redfox…" he turned his head into her tiny hands, "Yours?"_

_"Levy McGarden," she whispered, bringing her forehead to rest atop his. _

_She stayed like that, tears sliding slowly down her cheeks to dampen his hair. She didn't know how long she waited, secretly hoping in her heart that he'd awake once more to her silent tears. This man she'd never known, had only met once in her life, had left such an imprint on her that it hurt to know he was gone from the world forever. The bloody eyes that had found her one night and led his brigade past her hiding spot would open no more. She'd never get to know the man who'd saved her life. _

_"I just wish I could have saved yours," she whispered, putting a gentle kiss onto his forehead before pulling herself up and picking up a shovel on her way to the door. _

_No one would bury a mercenary. _

_But at least she would bury a hero._

* * *

_"_Lad,"

Gajeel started, gripping his staff tightly as he looked about him with large eyes. Natsu, Lucy, and Grey were sleeping in various places in the library and Juvia and Levy were by the window talking silently. Makarov stood before him, worry in his eyes.

"Aye?" Gajeel coughed, trying to keep his voice from disturbing the others int he room.

"You alright, lad?"

"Fine," he said quietly, running his fingers through his locks nervously, "Just... remembering."

"Well, it'd be good to get ye some rest. We'll have a long day as soon as dawn breaks," he puffed on his pipe lazily, gaging Gajeel's reaction.

"Aye, Sir," he replied silently, "I'll try."

"Good lad," he mumbled as he walked away, heading for the two in front of the window.

Gajeel's eyes travelled to Levy's moonshine-covered figure. Her hair bounced as she turned to say something to Makarov, her smile so bright it touched her eyes. As he studied her, a ray of light in the night, he wondered if for a third time she'd have to bear through watching him die before all of this was over.


	21. Teach You to Fight

_"Are we going to have to teach you to fight, Angel?"  
― _Becca Fitzpatrick,_ Hush, Hush_

The morning was bright and warm, a gentle lie amidst the storm that was resting just out of sight to them now. Gajeel sat underneath one of the great trees in the garden and watched as Makarov assembled the rest of their ragtag group together. His stride held purpose even though he smoked his pipe as if nothing was amiss.

"Alright, brats," he cleared his throat, looking up at the teens that stood before him with a slight twinkle in his eyes.

"What's up, pops?" Natsu sighed, a bored look on his face, "Something _else_ going on?"

Makarov just sighed and smoked his pipe, eyeing the youngsters warily, "I know how these two came upon the ability to see spirits. What about you, Natsu?"

"Me?" he surprise filled his features and he looked past the small man as he thought, "I guess I've been able to since as long as I could remember. When I was young, a smithy named Igneel took me in. I don't remember my real parents. But he raised me and taught me how to live like I was normal."

He shrugged and scratched the back of his head nervously, "Why do you ask?"

Makarov looked as if he were deep in thought for a moment before taking up a slow, purposeful march in front of them once more, "Your ability to see the other world gives you power over the creatures that live there. Some call it magic; others call it aura. Whatever you wish to name it, it is yours to summon and command. The only parameters that you have are the ones you set upon yourself."

"So we _can_ fly?!" Natsu piped, his face lighting up.

"Yes, although for you I wouldn't recommend it," Makarov smirked.

"You get sick when we ride a ferry," Lucy chided silently.

He scoffed and crossed his arms, "So?!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes from where he sat and watched. Even Levy and Juvia were standing there for instruction, which was ridiculous to him since they both knew about their skills.

"Natsu," Makarov's voice silenced the boy's bickering in an instant, "You are hyperactive and unpredictable. And similar to your personality, your ability is soulfire. It is strong because you've been a part of this other world your whole life,"

He then turned to Lucy, "Lucy, you are caring and intelligent but also gentle. Your talent is starlight. You can summon the power of the stars to aid you, something that shouldn't be abused.

"Grey, you are stern and reserved, but as explosive as Natsu when given the opportunity. Your gift is ice-make. You can create amazing things with ice and use them to aid you,"

Grey and Natsu both stared down at their hands and then each other, mischievous grins on their faces as they tried to conjure their magics. Both failed miserably, gaining a swift look from Makarov to quiet their romping.

"Juvia," Makarov continued, "You have a large and somber heart, but there is much joy that you can gain from the world around you. You only need to embrace it. You already have tendencies to cause rain with your tears but there is so much more you can do. Your life was so one with water that you've taken that with you to your afterlife. Utilize it. It can become a great strength,"

Juvia's dull, blue eyes lit at his words and she clasped her hands together tightly, obviously thinking on his words. When Makarov turned to Levy, his eyes softened and he smiled up at her grandly. She gazed down at him curiously, a meek smile lighting her eyes as well.

"Levy, you're so timid and have a heart almost larger than your amazing mind. Neither of which you give enough credit to. You've been touched by the Goddess of Light. Don't doubt your own abilities. You can do more than many could ever wish to accomplish. Always remember that,"

She shook her head, "I don't think…"

"Hush, child," he chided softly, "I wouldn't lie to you,"

She smiled at him gently, tucking a stray blue lock behind her ear as she did. Gajeel gazed at her slim figure just a tad too long.

"Gajeel!" Makarov's voice pulled his attention back to the small man with a start.

"What?" he growled, arms crossed where he lounged against the tree.

"You'll just have to figure out your power for yourself," the leprechaun grinned, his mustache twitching.

"Oi! How's that-!"

"Brats!" Makarov turned around as if he hadn't said a word, making Gajeel seethe. Levy giggled lightly and he stopped immediately, the sound of her laughter calming his agitation in an instant, "In order to be effective against your enemy, first you need to practice."

He took his pipe from his mouth and set it down a few yards away. He then picked up a stick and drew a long line almost ten meters from where the team stood.

"The rules are simple," Makarov smiled, cracking his knuckles, "Don't let me cross the line."

"Heh, you're on gramps!" Natsu grinned, taking on a ready stance.

"This shouldn't be too hard," Grey smiled coolly, throwing off his shirt for some strange reason.

Gajeel looked at the small, green-clad man as he took off his cap and tossed it to the side, revealing a balding head with wild clumps of white hair. The look in his eye was shrewd as he watched the youngsters, and for a moment, Gajeel scoffed at the thought that he'd actually try such a stunt. But he could feel the power brewing in the air like an electric current. Maybe there was more to the tiny man than the thought.

"CHARGE!" Natsu shrieked, heading for Makarov.

Just as he was about to cross the line for the tiny man, Makarov reached out his hand for the pink haired boy. Instead of holding it up to stop him, he balled it into a fist that grew until it was larger than Natsu himself and he backhanded him hard enough to send him tumbling past Grey and Lucy. Makarov just grinned at the dumbfounded looks on the teens' faces.

"I may be small," he grinned devilishly, "But I'm big when I want to be,"

With that, he took a step forward.

"Alright, lame-brain, let me show ya how it's done," Grey growled, running forward.

"Juvia will help!" Juvia said gleefully, running after him.

"Freeze!" Grey yelled, bringing his hands forward.

"Juvia apologizes in advance!" she exclaimed, coming to his aid.

A weak plume of white mist drifted from Grey's palms but dissipated before it could so much as brush Makarov's skin. Juvia sprung forward, bringing her arms up over her head and then down furiously. A moment passed, and then two, before clouds began to gather overhead and rain lighter than a drizzle started to fall. The two stood in dismay, looking at their hands, to each other, and to the non-existent damage they'd done.

Makarov laughed heartily and stepped forward once again.

"Come on, brats!" he smiled, "I haven't even gotten a scratch!"

"Out of the way, Ice Princess!" Natsu screamed, sprinting towards the small man once again. Grey and Juvia jumped out of the way when suddenly, Natsu's fists ignited. Small orbs of fire surrounded his knuckles and his eyes twinkled almost gleefully upon his approach. This time, when Makarov aimed his blow at Natsu he jumped and spun around in a strong kick. Whilst in air, they collided blows and Makarov once again sent him flying, this time straight into Lucy.

"Natsu!" she screamed, throwing her hands up to cover her face and stiffening herself against the blow. Gajeel's eyes widened when he noticed a faint light slowly growing stronger around her. Before Natsu could hit her, the light consumed her and turned into what looked like a giant shield. When Natsu fell against it, it held, and he collapsed in a heap on the ground. Lucy gasped and jumped back, shock making her mouth form into a small 'o' shape as she gazed down at her disorientated boyfriend.

"I did that?" a smile crept across her face, "Yes!"

"Good job, Lucy," Makarov laughed, taking yet another step forward.

"Come on, Juvia," Grey smiled over at her, "we can do this!"

"Of course!" she grinned back at him, taking a ready stance next to him.

It suddenly dawned on Gajeel, as he stared at the two, that Juvia was looking at him with longing in her eyes. He reeled back, suddenly piecing together why she was always following him around and trying to make him happy. _Seriously, Rain Woman?_

"Ice Make floor!" Grey yelled, this time sending out a mist that was stronger than before. The grass frosted over and Gajeel even noticed light frost covering Makarov's shoes and pants. Juvia rushed forward then and whispered something Gajeel couldn't quiet catch. To his amazement, her arm turned into water and this time when she brought it around to strike Makarov, it acted like a whip and aimed for his feet, causing him to backpedal from her hit. Makarov retaliated quickly, bringing his enlarging hand around to bat the two promptly out of the way like flies. Laughing once more, he took another step forward.

"Alright," Gajeel gritted his teeth, grabbing his staff from where it was leaning against the tree, "I'll show you idiots what a real fight looks like,"

"Says the guy who was almost sliced in half!" Natsu snapped from where he was sitting next to Lucy.

"I'll help!" Levy jumped up next to him, her eyes alight with her own smile as she came to his side.

"Alright," he grinned down at her, "This shouldn't be too hard,"

Makarov just crossed his arms as the regarded the two, a smile still playing against his mustache. He crooked his eyebrow at the Reaper, "Well, come on then,"

Gajeel materialized his scythe and stood ready, never letting his eyes leave the small man. His body reacted differently than when he'd fought the Ankou. He'd regained some of his memories, and with it, skill. Holding the scythe wasn't a last-ditch effort anymore, now it was a comfortable weight in his palms. Green energy snapped around his knuckles as he gripped the cold iron, hefting it over his shoulders so that the blade curved long enough to graze the ground.

"You need a weapon," he stated, looking at Levy out of the corner of his eye.

Levy was looking at him with a strange glimmer in her eyes, snapping out of it at the sound of his voice, "Oh… right… umm…"

She held her hands out and closed her eyes, envisioning something in her mind. A light began to consume her hands as she willed something into being. A fine tip of light formed and grew, but instead of turning into a sword or some other sort of weapon, a pen took shape and fell into her fingers.

"A pen?" Gajeel scoffed, "That was your masterful weapon? What are you gonna do, shoot ink into his eyes?"

"Literature is an amazing weapon," she snapped at him, sticking out her tongue.

"Tch, suit yourself," he growled, bringing the blade of his scythe forward to the ready. Without warning, he charged, watching the small man for a signal of his transformation. He noticed his hand growing and dodge out of the way of a powerful hit, and then another, using the staff of his scythe to block against it. He spun his blade around to slice at the leprechaun who jumped easily out of the way. Gajeel moved swiftly, always on guard for another attack and dodging appropriately. Makarov retreated a foot, then two, and soon was dodging Gajeel's attacks instead.

Gajeel brought his blade forward, slicing the air just inches from Makarov's mustache and noticed the sly look in the old man's eyes as he did so. He was keen, and watched Gajeel's attacks with the same precision as Gajeel did his. They were learning each other's techniques and adjusting appropriately, neither gaining an upper hand.

That's when Gajeel noticed a white light making Makarov's figure shiver. Suddenly, a hand hit him and sent him cartwheeling back over the line to the other side. When he staggered back to his feet Makarov had transformed into a giant, his head and shoulders higher than the tops of the grand tree Gajeel had been resting against just moments before.

"Gajeel, move!" Levy's voice pulled him from his stun and he got out of the way of a massive fist aimed for him. That's when he noticed golden light sending a volley of arrows at the giant. Gajeel almost couldn't believe his eyes. Levy was writing faster than his brain could think, sending arrows, fire, and even chains to wrap around the feet of the monster Makarov had turned into.

Suddenly, a whip materialized from just out of his sight and wrapped around Makarov's ankles along with Levy's chains and Gajeel looked back to see Lucy holding onto the other end, determination setting her face in a firm grin. Makarov stumbled backwards, trying to gain his balance as Grey placed his hands onto the ground and turned the floor into a sheet of ice. Juvia came up as well, materializing as upsurge of water to make him slip and land hard on his side. Before he could push himself back up, Natsu leapt towards him, fists consumed by bright, orange flames as he landed a solid punch on Makarov's chin.

With Natus's hit, Makarov let out a groan as light consumed his body once more and he shrank back down to his usual size, rubbing his head and cursing as he did.

"Damn kids can't take it easy on an old man…"

"Here, Master Makarov," Levy squatted down next to him, holding his hat and pipe out to him and smiling one of her heart-stopping smiles, "Thank you for your lesson,"

"Yeah, pops," Natsu piped, helping the old man up, "Thanks,"

Makarov ignited his pipe, "Maybe you brat's aren't as hopeless as I thought,"


	22. Don't Be Afraid

_"What you have to decide... is how you want your life to be. If your forever was ending tomorrow, would this be how you'd want to have spent it? Listen, the truth is, nothing is guaranteed. You know that more than anybody. So dont be afraid. Be alive."  
― _Sarah Dessen_, The Truth About Forever_

Gajeel sat down with a huff in the cool grass. Everywhere in the yard there were scorch marks and chunks of ice and pools of water. They'd been sparring all day. Natsu and Grey almost had each other covered in bandages over their numerous spats and contests. They hadn't stopped bickering since their '_awakening'_, as Makarov called it.

None of them were on par with someone who'd been fighting their whole lives, but they didn't necessarily have to be. They were being pitted against one specter; they should be fine just working as a team. And he was still regaining some of his memories and during his spars with Natsu and Makarov his muscle memory would kick in and he'd react faster, better, and calculate like a warrior instead of a man who'd just spent his afterlife gathering souls.

But now he was exhausted, physically and mentally. Between keeping up with flashbacks and sparring until his arms were sore and his magic was spent, he was actually tired and it might have been startling if Juvia hadn't just collapsed alongside Grey a while earlier. He wasn't used to the feeling of weariness. It was just too _human_ to actually be happening. And he was different from a human. He was supposed to be immortal, the embodiment of death itself sent to bring man to its ultimate destiny. And yet he'd felt pain, fatigue, even faced death himself. He was supposed to be superior.

He gazed down at his hands coolly, his red eyes sweeping across the new callouses and scrapes. He couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow would bring, be it his death or otherwise. But he felt confident that whatever would come he'd be able to face it head-on with comrades he'd never dreamed he'd have before. The thought was as calming as it was unsettling to him. Whatever evil awaited them in the coming hours, he had a growing confidence that everything would turn out for the best. He wouldn't let that creature win even if it meant his own life.

"Gajeel?" the quiet voice called from out of his line of sight. He could hear her subtle footsteps coming to his side and felt her skirt ghost by his shoulder as she settled next to him, letting her arm loop around his as she rested her blue locks on his shoulders. The gesture was so natural and he didn't shy away to her gentle touch but leaned in to the calming warmth that came from her caress, "How do you feel?"

"Eh?" he looked down at her, all bouncing blue curls in the dying light, "Fine. You?"

"I don't know," she said absentmindedly, staring off towards the mansion as she spoke, "It's strange… I feel like something terrible will happen tomorrow, but also something good."

Gajeel balled up his fists, "Something terrible? I'm sure it's not something we can't handle."

"We…" she leaned into him and he shook off her anxious grasp to wrap an arm around her. She was so small against him and so fragile.

"Whatcha thinking, Shorty?" he said tenderly, letting his chin rest atop her head and taking in the scent of her hair.

"What is dying like?" her voice was strange and far-off as she spoke. He stayed in a shocked silence for a moment, not knowing what to say before she spoke up again, "I always envisioned it was like falling asleep. Lucy's Mother and Father, that was what it was like for them. It was gentle and painless and then you just whisked them away."

He stared down at her with wide eyes. Where was all of this coming from?

"I've been thinking about it a lot lately. What would happen if I or you or any of the others died tomorrow?" she turned her head to him suddenly, her brown eyes sullen as she gazed up at him. She was gorgeous even in her melancholy demeanor and she had the look of one who'd seen her worst fears come into fruition. He felt like his heart was breaking as she spoke, "Are you going to be taking Lucy away by the end of it all tomorrow? Or Natsu? Or Grey?"

"Levy I…"

"Or are you going to usher me to Mavis tomorrow?"

"Levy, stop." Gajeel growled down at her firmly, bringing a hand up to her chin and brushing his thumb across her jaw, "That ain't gonna happen."

"But how do you know?"

"I'll keep you safe, no matter what," his lips were set in a firm line as he gazed down at her. To his surprise, her eyes darkened at his words.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she whispered, tears beginning to gather in the corners of her eyes, "I… I can't watch you die…"

"Hey…" he whispered softly, putting a gentle kiss on her forehead and pulling her into his chest. She wrapped her slim fingers into his cape and ducked her head into his embrace. He buried his face into her neck, letting his raven locks fall across their shoulders, "You're not going to watch anyone die…"

"How can you say for sure?"

He could feel the dampness against his shirt from her silent tears she was keeping masterfully hidden. He brought his knuckle to her chin and tipped her head back to meet his gaze. A couple tears streaked down her cheeks as she stared up at him, her worry clear on her face from the downturn of her eyebrows to the slight purse of her lips. He brought her to him silently and let his lips rest gently against hers, a reassuring kiss to banish her fears if only for the time being.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" he breathed gently.

"You're changing the subject," she replied defiantly, though her voice betrayed the calm that was clearing away her tears. His ruby eyes captured hers, his sincerity making her melt in his arms.

"Everything is going to be fine, I promise,"

"You're not afraid."

"What do I have to fear when I have the best guardian angel in the world by my side?" he smiled down at her, his fangs glistening at her in the dim light of the sunset. His eyes were ablaze with the dying sun and – for a moment – she let the fear clinging to her heart slip away.

"Idiot…" she murmured, but a smile found its way to the corners of her lips and she gingerly returned his kiss.


	23. Rage is Powerful

_"Rage is a powerful emotion, strong enough not just to burn away pain but also to sear back the whispering tendrils of fear."  
– Carrie Ryan_

As dawn arose, with it came the mist. Its white tendrils stretched icy fingers into every crevice of the once beautiful garden. The flowers walled themselves up as if they were scared of being tainted by the unnatural fog. The chill bit into Gajeel's flesh as he stood before the mansion, eyes and ears straining for the appearance of the specter in the dense haze. One by one the others joined him on the grounds, grim faces prepared for whatever might come. Levy snaked her fingers into his hand, emitting a false calm upon him that he took graciously.

It wasn't long before the sounds of hooves hitting cobblestone could be heard followed by the creaking of a cart past its limit of use. His silhouette made its way towards them, exuding no hurry in his approach. Gajeel could feel the uneasiness of the others grow as the Ankou came into view, his red eyes glowing murderously as he gazed on the band before him.

"You live, red-eyed reaper," his voice was critical, seeming to rise from the ground around them to pervade the air, "But not for long."

Gajeel activated his scythe and brandished it forward, his stance strong and confident.

_It's just one soul… _

The Ankou reared his head and let a scream loose to the heavens, so fierce and shrill it threatened to break open the heavens and shake the earth around them. Gajeel flinched, gritting his teeth as the trill chilled his core. Juvia and Lucy stumbled back, fear evident in their eyes. Gajeel stepped forward with a growl, refusing to back away and shot Natsu and Grey a look. The two surged forwards with him, fire and ice crackling behind him as they three charged.

That's when Gajeel noticed movement coming from the cart. Hundreds of arms and legs began pulling from the dray. The wails of the souls escaping from the bottomless pit began to creep through the garden as they spilled like waves to the ground and crawled towards them. Some abandoned the earth and rose to fly towards them, screaming as they stretched taloned hands for them.

Gajeel swung his scythe as the wave hit them, slicing through dozens of specters. His sight became filled with the anguished faces of men, women, and children as they grasped for him. They flew behind his boots to trip him and clenched icy fingers onto his cape, his arms, his legs, trying to overwhelm him with their numbers. He kept swinging, slicing mercilessly as he desperately tried to stay on his feet. There were thousands of them constantly surging from behind the Ankou as he watched with mild interest at the struggling males.

Natsu's whole body was alight with brilliant red flames and he was slashing and punching wildly around him, eyes wide as he kept the specters just feet away from him. He was out of breath, trying to keep up with the tidal waves. Grey wasn't fairing as well as Natsu, summoning swords and lances of ice to tear into the screaming wraiths. He kept stepping back, trying his best to keep from being surrounded.

Gajeel heard a scream and whipped his head around to see Lucy covering herself in a sphere of yellow light. Phantoms were clawing at her shield, trying to get to her on the inside. Levy was sending words flying into the air, writing shields for herself and Juvia whilst sending volleys of arrows that fell like stardust on the screaming sea of maws below. He could see the terror in her eyes as she tried her best to aid those around her.

Gajeel roared, charging through the enemies and trying to make his way to the Ankou, "You coward! Fight me head on!"

He was wading through a sea of shrieking faces. They clung to him and weighed him down even as he tried to force himself through them. They were tearing his cape and trying to get their hands around his throat. The Ankou smiled at him, rows of rotting teeth glistening at him through the mist. He didn't raise his sickle, didn't move from his perch on his creaking carriage, but let out a wailing laugh that sent tremors through Gajeel's flesh.

"You lose, Red-eyed reaper."

Gajeel felt pain lance through his calf and brought his scythe down to slice in the specter that had latched to his flesh. Before he could move, five more had claimed his back and were biting and tearing at his flesh. He turned to slice them away only to feel more clamp onto his arms, pulling his weapon from him and forcing him to the ground. He could taste blood in his mouth, was trying to kick the hands that were grasping at his ankles. For every one he fought off five more took their place, digging talons into his flesh and sending pain like fire through his veins. He could hear Levy screaming as the same was done to her and the curses of Natsu and Grey as they too fell to their knees.

Rage was boiling in him and he fought ruthlessly against the cold that was smothering him to the ground. He couldn't move. His whole body, his whole sight was consumed with the moans and cries of the wraiths that were pulling his body against the dirt. He was forced to his knees, hands grabbing his hair and pulling his head until he felt his neck might snap at the pain. He could feel the heat of blood trickling down his skin from where their nails were puncturing his flesh in an act to keep him still. He couldn't stop. He had to fight…

His red eyes turned to his right and caught a glimpse of blue locks beside him. They were in a line: Grey, Natsu, Lucy, Juvia, Levy, and him. The ocean of phantoms separated as the figure clad in grey stepped forward, his scythe glinting murderously. He turned to Gajeel and brought down the sharp tip to rest gently against his shoulder.

"I really wished to hadn't opposed me, Reaper. I could have had used for you,"

Gajeel felt defiance rising in his chest and he smirked up at the Ankou, his red eyes showing no trace of fear, "I'm not some dog in need of a master, and I'd rather be dead than let you kill the people I watch over."

"That can be arranged," his voice was a whisper as he leaned down to meet Gajeel's gaze, "But I won't give you the gratification of dying first, Reaper."

He turned and walked purposefully down the line until he stopped in front of Grey. Gajeel felt his heart freeze in his chest as Grey met the glowing red eyes of the Ankou. His dark eyes were rebellious, glaring up at the demon without fear as he faced his death. Gajeel fought against the hands that held him, shouting curses at the wraith. Natsu was shaking, fire spilling all around him and causing the phantoms holding him to screech in pain and summon more in order to keep him down.

He brought his scythe high and sliced down in one swift motion. He heard Juvia scream and suddenly a downpour released from the heavens.

"Gray! Gray no!"

His body slumped backwards as blood seeped silently from his throat to coat his clothes and the ground. His eyes dulled and he collapsed, his spirit rising from its abandoned body with dead eyes. He didn't move, only stood staring blankly before him as the Ankou turned to the next person in line.

"You bastard!" Natsu screamed, fire exploding from around him but being contained by his captors, "I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!"

The Ankou looked at him with derision and brought his scythe down to silence the boy. Tears were sliding down Lucy's face silently as she watched his face contort with pain and his screams became garbled noises as his throat was slit.

"No…" Levy's voice was tiny and broken beside him. It was no more than a shaky whisper as she watched with horror in her eyes at he turned to Lucy, "No… no… no…"

Lucy's large brown eyes were spilling tears that she was trying not to choke on as she watched the blade raise with finality above her head. She closed her eyes and ducked her head, bracing for the impact that was about to end her life.

"No… no… no…"

He brought his scythe down, slicing through flesh and bone in one quick blow. Lucy slumped and crumpled to the ground, her soul rising to join the others standing and staring blankly into nothingness.

"No…" Levy's voice hitched as he turned to Juvia, "_NO!_"

The Ankou suddenly stopped, whipping his head around to the blue-haired angel.

"_NO! NO MORE!" _she screamed, light gathering around her and compressing, sending a shock-wave through the wraiths holding her and causing them to scream and let her loose. Suddenly, light blared from her figure. It was so blindingly bright that Gajeel had to flinch away from her and turn his eyes.

He heard the wraiths holding him screech and release him, letting him land hard on the ground. He struggled to rise as the light faded and gasped as his eyes rested on Levy's figure. Her dress and hair dances around her weightlessly and she was floating off the ground, her body glowing with giant golden wings stretch around her tiny figure. Her eyes were blazing, tiny fires dancing in her brown eyes as she glared down at the monster before her.

"You…" the Ankou's eyes were wide as he stared at her, "I need your soul…"


	24. Death is Looking

_"__Imam Hussain (as) was asked: O 'the son of the prophet how is life going on? Imam replied: Life is going on , in such a way that I have a God over me, the hell-fire in front of me , death is looking for me, there is no escape of the Day of Judgement, I am taken as a hostage by my own deeds, things do not turn out to be the way I like , I cannot repel what I hate, the affairs are in someone else's hands. He tortures me if he likes and he forgives if he wishes. Therefore, is there anybody poorer than me?"_  
― Allama Majlisi, (Biharol Anwar, Vol. 78 , P. 116)

The Ankou stretched his hand forward, summoning a throng of specters to his command. They screamed in fury and lunged towards Levy, hands searching to grip the tiny woman and drag her to her death. But her light was ferocious and searing hot. No longer was it warm and comforting like before. Now it seared dead bodies to ash as they approached, scattering the forces the wraith had commanded as they lunged. But the skeleton of a man wasn't dismayed. He grinned, pale teeth against grey, tight skin, as the onslaught faltered against her. He didn't seem fazed by the sudden shift in power. On the contrary, he seemed to relish the fiery angel destroying his ranks of damned.

Blue hair whipped this way and that as she turned with grace from the screaming ghosts. Her eyes fell on the fallen reaper, ablaze with a kind of pain that made Gajeel's heart shatter. The woman who had cried for his failing body was gone, replaced with heavenly retribution as golden wings propelled her forward, rage driving her to disregard her fallen comrades on the ground. She was no longer fighting for herself or to save those around her. She was fighting for revenge.

And the mere idea almost cut Gajeel's heart in two.

"Come to me, Angel of Mavis!" the Ankou laughed, brandishing his blood-soaked scythe before him. He made angry swipes for her, masterfully aiming for wings and arms and throat.

Levy, in all her rage and sadness wasn't made to fight. Even though her light was blinding and her mere touch sent the wraiths before her to disintegrate on the ground, she could do little against the reaper. Her hands pulled light from the air, summoning commands to try and bind the evil incarnate. But with every spell that weaved it's way to restrain his arms or stop the swipe of his scythe, he found a way to dodge or slice his way through. He was approaching her with stealth, his red eyes glowing ever fiercely with his approach.

Terror gripped Gajeel's stomach as the blade barely missed beautiful golden wings, causing feathers to fly as she retreated. She wasn't going to win this fight. No matter what she tried she was losing ground. The thought of her light going out forever consumed Gajeel's mind, pushed a new vigor into his sore limbs. He wasn't going to lose her.

Not again.

Not ever.

He cast his eyes across the ground, searching for what had been forced from him in the struggle before. His scythe lay on the ground, discarded by the wraith that had stolen it from him only moments before. He pushed himself to his feet and rushed the screaming souls around him. He dodged and fought his way through the throng, ignoring the weariness in his body and the cold that threatened to steal away his breath. When his hands grasped the comforting iron relief flooded through him and he turned to fight his way towards the light.

Her light. Her heat. Her beauty.

It was the only thing on his mind.

He had to save her, had to stop the terrible scene playing before him.

"Levy!" Gajeel screamed.

Somehow he had to move faster. He had to fight harder. Each swipe of his blade cut down a path towards her. Green magic, so raw and fierce, snapped from his fists as he approached. He was breathless, cutting down spirits like grass in his way. He was so _close_…

He saw the blade but was nowhere close enough to stop it and his heart seized. Levy couldn't move fast enough and suddenly brilliant red blood was filling the air. She closed her eyes against the pain and crumpled, light bursting as one of her glorious wings ceased to exist.

He didn't know how, but he was by her side, his blade locking with the blade of the Ankou. The smiling corpse looked joyous, sparkling eyes wild as he stared down at his victim.

_"Get out of my way reaper…"_ his voice wailed just inches away from his face, but Gajeel didn't flinch. He pushed with as much force as he could. Terror and rage propelled his movements. His muscles responded with a ferocity he didn't recognize.

_He wouldn't lose_.

A wide swing locked with his scythe and tried to rip his weapon away, but Gajeel held steady. His muscles were screaming, sweat with threatening to blind him. The mist around them seemed to grow stronger as Levy's glorious light faded, the only barrier keeping the screaming army at bay dissipating.

"I was going to let you die last, Reaper," the Ankou hissed between rotten teeth, "but you leave me no choice…"

With a strength Gajeel had not yet come to know, the Ankou swiped his weapon out of the way with a motion like swatting a stray gnat. Gajeel felt the air rush towards him, saw the gleam of the blade as it approach. His reaction wasn't fast enough as he tried in vein to parry the attack. He could see red eyes, weary and distraught, but completely absent of fear, reflecting back at him, approaching at a speed both incredibly fast and unbearably slow.

He gritted his teeth, putting his all into one last slice. Maybe he wouldn't survive this encounter, but perhaps he could at least give Levy time to make her escape.

But the darkness that should have come for him never eclipsed his vision. Instead, light flooded his every sense. Feather-light fingers brushed his chest and blue locks bounced against his cheeks.

"Idiot," her voice was fragile and so full of pain it barely made the journey to his ears, "Did you think I'd let you do that?"

"Levy… Levy!"

Crimson was everywhere. It seeped across her form, soaking into her golden dress and running down her pale legs. It was warm against his face, hands, arms, as he grasped her waist, barely saving her from her topple to the ground. Brown eyes were swimming in pain as she fell, her beautiful light shattering like glass around them.

He was screaming, but the voice didn't sound like it was coming from him. His heart was being ripped from his chest; it was dripping into the pool of blood framing her terribly pale figure. His hands were shaking violently, unable to keep grasp of her fingers as her arms fell limp to the ground.

This couldn't be happening.

A horrific screech broke into him, shattered the surreal world around him. The Ankou was laughing, victory in his features as he charged one last time towards them. Gajeel clenched his fists.

The heat filling his chest was scorching. It drowned out the fear. It halted the pains in his body. It consumed him like fire. But it wasn't the redemption that came from Levy's beautiful presence. It wasn't calming or beautiful like her. It was like lava, destroying his entire being. It suddenly occurred to Gajeel that this was something he'd never felt before in this life or the last. It cooled his rage and made power fill his entire being.

This was what happened only when you ripped something dear away from a soul. When you shattered will to a million pieces and were finally allowed to see just how truly terrible the world and all who inhabited it was. It was a feeling that could consume a human in a heartbeat, but now, he drew nothing but strength from its sinful lust.

Red eyes beamed in their approach. Gajeel steeled himself against the rage boiling in his veins and set his stance. The swipe was aimed for victory, no longer tactful and reserved like before. When the blade came for him, Gajeel spun towards it, bringing up his boot and thrusting it towards the corpse. It hit the Ankou solidly in the chest, causing him to falter and loose his grip on his weapon.

And then Gajeel did the unthinkable.

He grabbed the monster's scythe.

It's dark power melted his skin and ate his flesh like acid. Dark, black, smoky tendrils crawled from his grasp and twisted up his arm. The pain laced through his veins and made him scream, but he refused to relinquish his grip. With as much strength as he could muster he forced it from his grip and clutched it against his own, holding them perfectly parallel to each other.

Green magic seared from his scythe, crawling up his arm to mirror the pain in is other grasp. His heart was racing. He couldn't bear the darkness trying to consume him. Red eyes laughed at him from where they lay on the ground.

"You fool! Think you to sustain the power of my weapon?" the Ankou laughed wickedly, "It'll eat you like the rest of those who seek to control it! Give up your life to me, Reaper! You've already lost!"

Gajeel clenched his jaw and set his stance. The pain was travelling to his heart, causing it to beat an irregular rhythm. But as he stood, he could see the smile fading from the demon before him. Gajeel Redfox wouldn't bow. He wouldn't die by the likes of this darkness. He knew death. He was it's messenger. He refused to let Levy sacrifice herself in vain.

He didn't know where the power came from or how he became able to hold it, but he found a way to toss back his head and slam the two scythes together. Metal cords exploded from his scythe, the fates of every soul in the world tangling together for just an instant and then latching to the dark weapon in his other hand. The wraiths in the vale let out painful screams that filled the air like a thousand dead crying their last before judgment took them away.

The Ankou suddenly faltered and fell to his knees.

"What… what are you doing?"

A growl ripped from Gajeel's chest as he locked eyes with the creature before him. The wind whipped past them and the earth began to shake. He felt it, a power like nothing before, surging through his veins to capture the darkness and force it down into submission.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" the Ankou screeched in pain, his back arching as he clawed at the skies, searching for some sort of relief from what was suddenly besetting him.

Gajeel's voice echoed like thunder in the air, slithered from the mist and consumed the air around them. As he spoke, more and more cords attached to the dark weapon he held, pulling the two scythes closer and closer together, joining them, and warping metal around metal in a terrible transmutation.

"My name is Death," Gajeel felt heat coming to his skin, his flesh becoming hardened as shadows and metal became a part of him, he could feel it changing him, turning him into a beast as he let himself be consumed by it, "All Kings and Princes bow down to me…"

The Ankou screamed as his skin started to deteriorate. What was once flesh was turning into crisp flakes of skin clinging to bone. He desperately trying to crawl forward but muscle and sinew was turning to dust and bone was failing to move on its own.

For the first time, fear came over the dark deity.

"I'll not take diamonds, I'll not take pearls. I'll not give you time your life to amend."

"Stop it! Silence! You don't know what you're doing, Reaper!"

"I will snatch your soul away and return you back to cold earth and clay!"

_"NO!"_

The two scythes in his hand melted together as one, and as his fists gripped the cold metal magic filled his entire being. He raised the scythe above his head and ripped it down into the ground, the motion tearing a vast canyon into the earth. The screaming wraiths gripped into the ground and toppled towards the ravine as if an invisible vortex were pulling them in. Every soul that had been touched by the Ankou was sucked deep into the ground, even the few faces that he had come to recognize as friends.

But still the Ankou resisted, pulled feebly at the ground and reached towards Gajeel with a plea on his face.

"Reaper! Please! Let me have mercy!"

"Go and be judged, Ankou! And rest in the Abyss where you belong!"

As the words left his mouth, the decrepit spirit lost his grip on the ground. He screamed and tried to scramble from the judgment coming for him. But, finally, he could resist no longer and collapsed against the great force that pulled him down, screaming into the darkness before the earth closed up around him. His scream cut off abruptly, and suddenly, all that was left was silence.


	25. Without A Heart

_"and he suddenly knew that if she killed herself, he would die. Maybe not immediately, maybe not with the same blinding rush of pain, but it would happen. You couldn't live for very long without a heart." __  
_― Jodi Picoult

With the closing of the massive gate, the last of Gajeel's strength left him. As if watching through the eyes of a dream, the world around him tilted and he landed hard on the grass. He'd never felt a weakness like this before, so drained of energy that he could barely muster the strength to keep his eyelids raised.

"Levy…" he breathed her name, clinging with all that he could muster. He cast his eyes around him, beseeching into the clearing mist for her frame. He dug his fingertips into the soft earth and pulled himself up with shaking limbs.

"Levy!" he called weakly, his arms fighting to hold his weight aloft.

"Gajeel…"

Her voice was impossibly far away, her light nothing but a dim haze meters away from him. He forced his arms forward, tried to lift himself onto his legs but found himself only falling back to the earth. He gritted his teeth against the tremors his weary limbs were sending in protest of his actions, bit against the dull weakness in his arms and legs to crawl what suddenly seemed an immeasurably far distance. Foot by foot he pulled himself to her, desperate to hold her, to see if she was ok. He didn't look down to the grass when he felt the slick wetness in his fists, refused to believe her injuries were so extensive.

But when his hands finally brushed her pale skin, there was no denying the chill in her body.

"Levy," he pulled her to him, saw the pain lace across her face as she faced him. The gash ran from her shoulder down her side. Blood tainted her beauty, crimson that was pooling around them stealing the rose that was once in her cheeks. Her brown eyes, however, filled with relief as she gazed up at him. A smile spread across her lips and tears began to streak down her face.

"You're ok…" her voice was barely a whisper.

Gajeel tried to return the smile, desperately tried to fight the pressure building like a tsunami behind his eyes. He gritted his teeth so hard he felt a dull pain throb in his jaw. He was shaking, but this time not from frailty. He was holding back sobs, fighting the pain in his chest.

"I'm sorry…" she sighed, her eyebrows gathering together as she spoke, "I couldn't just let you be killed…"

"So you put yourself in my stead?" he bit out bitterly, tears beginning to gather at the edges of his vision, "Dammit Levy… you weren't supposed to get hurt!"

"It's ok…"

"Like Hell it's ok!" his voice was shaking as he pulled her closer, feebly wrapping his arms around her as he brought her against his chest, "It'll never be ok… I can't live through this eternity without you…"

She brought a tiny hand to his face, her fingers ghosting gently against his cheek, "You'll live on. It may take time, but soon, I'm sure, you'll forget about me…"

"You…" he silenced her, red eyes staring deeply into her brown, "There's no way I could ever forget you."

She smiled, then. It was a tiny, sad smile, as she let her hand slip down his neck to his chest. He brought a large, tanned hand to hold hers. He cupped it against his heart, willing the life to be transferred to her, praying that he could somehow stop her light from fading any farther.

"Please tell me, at least, that one day I might see you in paradise…" he whispered, hot tears streaking down his face. His chest could no longer keep the sobs at bay and his shoulders tremored wretchedly against the sorrow in his heart.

She didn't respond. Her broken body was all but limp in his grasp. Her heat was almost gone and her pale light was no more. She rolled her head against his arm.

Silently, she whispered a phrase Gajeel immediately recognized, "Do you sing?"

A sudden realization came to him as she stared down at her, all porcelain skin with sapphire hair framing her face. She remembered him. Not the him that had met her at Jude Heartfilia's deathbed, no, she remembered the mercenary. She remembered the man who'd nursed him in his last minutes as a human on the earth.

"How…?"

"Shhh…" she smiled gently, knowing all too well her time was nearing to an end, "Please…"

The tears fell harder from his face, pattering gently down on her neck and chest,

_"Down yonder green valley where streamlets meander  
When twilight is fading, I pensively roam  
Or at the bright noontide in solitude wander  
Amid the dark shades of the lonely Ash grove  
Twas there while the blackbird was cheerfully singing  
I first met that dear one, the joy of my heart  
Around as for gladness the bluebells were ringng  
Ah then little knew I, how soon we would part._

As he sang, her head lulled back against his arm. Her cerulean locks were like feathers brushing his skin. The tiniest bits of light began detaching themselves from her to glitter in the air, floating on the slightest bit of wind into the sky like hundreds of infinitesimally small fireflies. The brown eyes were dull, staring at him as if he were far away and not really so close holding her frail, broken body in his arms.

_"Still glows the bright sunshine, o'er valley and mountain  
Still trembles the moonbeam on streamlet and fountain  
Still warbles the blackbird, its note from the tree  
But what are the beauties of nature to me?  
With sorrow, deep sorrow, my bosom is laden  
All day I go wandering in search of my love  
Ye echoes Oh tell me, where is that bright maiden?  
She sleeps neath the green turf, down by the ash grove._

Her body was light, her form no more than a shadow. Gently, her eyes fluttered shut and the worried crease between her brows smoothed. The pain etched across her features turned into an eerie calm. Try as he might to keep his voice from wavering, the quiet sobs he tried so hard to keep hidden were making it hard to keep himself steady.

_"My lips smile no more, my heart loses its lightness,  
No dream of the future my spirit can cheer;  
I only can brood on the past and its brightness,  
The dead I have mourned are again living here.  
From ev'ry dark nook they press forward to meet me;  
I lift up my eyes to the broad leafy dome,  
And others are there, looking downward to greet me;  
The ash grove, the ash grove alone is my home."_

She was gone. Nothing of her remained. No light, no warmth, not even the red stains of her blood lay on the ground around him. He gazed up to the heavens, a cry snaking past his lips as he wept there in the darkness. His body was past the point of breaking down, his heart felt like a void in his chest. He clenched his fists and pushed them into the ground, slumping his head forward to press into them. The smell of the earth filled his nose, the cold unyielding scent making him feel all the more alone.

He didn't care for his accomplishment. What was there to be proud of with Levy gone? How was he supposed to exist without that enchanting light in his life any longer? She was nothing now. Not a soul, or a human, just the fluttering of light that drifted on the breeze and vanished from him.

He couldn't save her.

Worse, her death was because of his weakness.

All of their deaths.

Levy, Lucy, Natsu, and Grey. And Juvia? He didn't even have the strength to search her out and see if she was well. Or maybe she was just like him, collapsed in a sorrow so deep it was like an ocean crushing her.

He lay down in the grass, buried his face where hers had once been. Fatigue was his only relief from the sorrow that turned him to cold stone on the ground. Exhaustion was what took him away into darkness and gave him peace, if only for a short time.


	26. Hearts Aren't Changed

_"__There will be no escape from wars, from hunger, from misery, from rancid discrimination, from denial of human rights, if our hearts aren't changed." _  
― Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing About Grace? Study Guide

Gajeel was cold.

It was the chill of the ground beneath him that finally awoke him from his unnatural slumber. Rain pattered down around him miserably, drowning the world in ice water. He didn't want to open his eyes, wanted to briefly pretend the memories that were surfacing in his mind weren't true. If he could just sink back into that dark slumber he could be there again, a world of dark and calm and nothing.

But he couldn't just fall to sleep. He opened his eyes and pushed himself to sit up. The motion made him want to vomit and he couldn't well hold his weight. Suddenly, he was aware of a presence near to him and he slowly inclined his head backwards to look upon the woman beside him.

Golden locks fanned across the ground next to him. Strikingly blue eyes gazed quietly over at him. A tiny smile spread across her face. Gajeel dipped his head when he saw her, didn't want to meet eyes with the tiny Judge. They sat in silence next to each other as the sun began to rise in the distance and the darkness and rain of night quietly began to filter away.

"Judge Mavis," Gajeel greeted her at long last, still refusing to meet her gaze.

"Gajeel Redfox," he could hear the smile in her voice, calm and gentle as she spoke.

"Why are you here?" he asked quietly.

"I'm here because you've done a great service, Reaper. You, despite all odds, defeated the Ankou and saved mankind from certain destruction. That's not a small feat, Kurogane. And it's one I don't look on lightly,"

"I don't feel as if I've done something great…" he choked out, his heart breaking once again in his chest.

"Most heroes never do," she smiled at him patiently. She reached out her hand to lay it against the Reaper. Her touch seemed to warm his entire being. Despite his sorrow, he felt his heart become just a little bit lighter. It was impossible to resist the healing powers of the Judge, "I've come to offer you something."

"With all do respect, Lady Mavis, I doubt there's anything you can do for me."

She stood up and walked around to face him, "Gajeel Redfox," she began grandly, her smile growing just slightly, "It's rare that a Judge goes back on their word. When you first stood before me on your death day, I told you that you weren't allowed in Paradise. Now I'm here to ask your forgiveness. Your actions for this world have resonated to your character. Any wrongdoings of your past life have been erased. If you would just take my hand, I'd lead you to the glorious Life After with me."

She extended a hand down to him. Her smile was gentle and kind. He could tell by looking at the tiny nymph before him that she meant only good in her intentions.

"Will Levy be there?" his voice was quietly hopeful as she looked up at her. Her smile faltered just a little at his question, and with it, so too did his heart seem to sink into the ground.

"I can't say, Reaper." was her only reply.

"Then I can't go with you,"

"Why?" she looked down at him quizzically, retracting her hand to clasp it with her other one, "Is what I offer not the reason you became a Reaper? To repay your soul's debt and allow you redemption of Zeref's Abyss?"

"Aye, and you've been very generous to me to offer it. But I've seen so many things and learned even more in my time here," his voice wavered as he spoke. He couldn't believe what he was saying, but in his heart he knew he couldn't accept her offer, "When I was a human, I'd never befriended anyone. I didn't care for anyone aside from myself. But as a Reaper I've begun to see humanity in a different light. Everyone has a mother, father, sibling, child… someone they love. They do amazing and terrible things for them. They beg death for one more day and pray to live with that other person for just a little while longer. I never did much of anything besides taking life away when I was human, so I suppose I just never really understood…

"I've made friends and looked after them. I've broken the strings of fate that I was sworn to protect. I've done crazy and stupid things. I've found that I could actually fall in love,"

Mavis gazed down at him, her lips pursed in the smallest of frowns and her eyebrows gathering in concern. She didn't say a word, didn't seem to even breathe, she merely watched as the man at her feet began to break into a million pieces. Tears were streaking down his face and as he spoke he balled his fists into the grass. He tried his best to keep his voice steady, but he could hide it little as he slowly began to fall apart.

"The offer you're giving me is kind and there was once a time when I would have leapt at the chance of redemption. But I've lost something dear to me, friends that I could almost look upon as family and I've come to realize that there are some things I can't accept now," he looked up at the small Goddess as he spoke, "Lady Mavis, I think that maybe I'd rather spend eternity as a wraith wondering the world than a single day in Paradise without Levy by my side. If there ever was a favor you could do for me, instead of Paradise is there any way in this world or the next that you could bring her back to me?"

"What you ask, Gajeel, is simply out of my hands," she said at length. Once more she offered her hand down to him, "Please reconsider. Come with me. You'll be happy, I swear it."

He didn't respond, only turned his face back down to the earth. The silence stretched for ages before he finally heard her straighten. Her warmth receded from him until he was once again left alone on the cold ground.

He tipped his head up to the sky as the sun slowly drifted higher, filling the sky with gorgeous colors of red, orange, and pink. It did little to warm the void he felt in his chest. The only thing he could do as he stared was think of Levy. He could envision how her pale skin would sparkle in the beautiful light and how her eyes would have lit up if she were only there. They could have sat next to each other, if this were another place in a different time, and possibly laughed about how one of them was being an idiot. He wanted to sing for her, to watch her face portray that whimsical smile as she listened.

He'd never wanted something so desperately before.

"Reaper."

The voice caught him off guard and he turned his head to face it, his disheveled locks falling into his face as he did. Before him stood the other half of the Judges, clad in black and glaring down at him with red eyes.

"Aye…"

"Mavis tells me you refused passage into Paradise. Is that true?"

"Yes, sir."

"You can't refuse to go to the other side, Redfox. You should know more than any that a soul has to move on."

"Maybe a soul that has meaning," he bit back bitterly, "I stand by what I said."

Zeref frowned at Gajeel. His black hair fell into his eyes as he became deep in thought, "You have no meaning, you say?"

"Aye."

"All because you've lost someone dear to you?" he scoffed, "Haven't you ripped families apart during your time as a Reaper? Haven't you separated parents from children and lovers from each other's arms? Have you become so haughty in your thinking that you deserve better than humans?"

"I never said…"

"You think you can make your own rules, Gajeel Redfox? That you can just upset the natural order because you feel you're in more pain than anyone else?"

"I didn't…"

"You say you refuse to move on to the other side without a purpose like some poltergeist from a human fairy tail?"

Gajeel was stunned by the Judge's sudden rage. His eyes flashed at him wickedly as he spoke and he began to approach Gajeel.

"Do you think you're the only one who suffers in this world?"

"I know that other's suffer! I know that others grieve! But wasn't it your monster that caused it all? Wasn't it your creation that decimated this country and spread a death plague over the land? You're no more righteous than I am! What makes it that you can dictate the fate of man?"

"You _dare_ to go against me? Do you forget who it was that pardoned you from the Abyss?"

Gajeel backpedaled and did the only thing he thought to do as the aggressive force came for him. He grabbed his scythe and brandished it before him. Zeref's eyes widened and he clenched his fists.

"I don't forget!" Gajeel yelled at him, "I don't forget that you told me to give up once before."

Zeref halted his approach then, his red eyes trained on the man before him.

"You told me death would suit me better, that nothing good would come of my having a love for the light," Gajeel growled, "Well I refuse. What good is Paradise if the only person who made me see the world for what it really is wasn't there? These humans that you shepherd aren't mindless sheep that cause destruction wherever they go. They do good things and help each other. They grow and fall in love and bring life to this world. I would much rather live to protect the world that she loved then just give up!"

Zeref stared him down, his eyes critical as they took him in. Gajeel steeled himself against the wrath of the Lord of Death, sure that in an instant he'd be struck down. But as the moments passed, he started to think that maybe it would never come.

"Well, that was dramatic," an elderly voice piped up.

Gajeel turned his head to look at the tiny man who approached. The leprechaun held his pipe in his hand, smoking it happily and carrying his cane out to the side of him. He smiled at the two as he sauntered over.

"Makarov," Zeref greeted him calmly, all rage from just moments earlier strangely extinguished.

"Old man," Gajeel looked down at him, "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to make you an offer," he smiled slyly.

"An offer?" Gajeel stared at the little imp who seemed extremely confident as he stood before the two wards of death. He took a long dreg from his pipe and let tiny rings float wearily into the air before continuing.

"How much do you know about this country, my lad?"

"Enough."

"Well, now that you've met the Ankou, has it occurred to you that maybe there's more to the stories you've heard over the ages than you previously thought?"

"No… I haven't…"

"Well, now might be a good time to start," Makarov shot Zeref a mischievous smile as he spoke, "The world is full of evil and wonderful things. You've said yourself that they need guidance and they need care and compassion."

Gajeel looked down to the elderly man, confusion written across his features. It was so hard to stay calm, to not just turn his back on the elderly man and leave. What was he talking about? Why would this make him feel any different?

"Well I've been on this Earth for a long, long time and I've come across a band of people who have decided to aid me in keeping the humans in this world safe from the dark things that crawl across the land. I was hoping that maybe you'd like to meet them?"

Gajeel's brow furrowed.

"There are people that you know there," Makarov grinned.

Gajeel's eyes widened and he felt hope start to rise in his chest, "Who?"

"Why don't we find out?"


End file.
